Spiritual Reflection

Today I will be attending the funeral of a revered friend of mine, Rev. Alphonse Micka, MIC.  He has been a friend for over 50 years.  He was a good priest, a great pastor/shepherd and a wonderful friend.  He invited me to assist him at his parish and turned into almost 20 years of priestly joy.  There is not a lot of sadness in this goodbye as he lived a great life: a priest for 73 years, a pastor for over 50 years and a life full of friends as he celebrated his 97th Birthday.  It is always difficult to say goodbye to someone you have admired and loved for so long, but he was ready to go Home to be with the God He loved and served so well.

My thoughts are in finding ways to fill the void created by his departure.  There will never be another Fr. Al so to try is rather foolish.  But I can fill the void with trying to do things the way he did.  He never had a bad word to say about anyone and I don’t know of anyone who had a bad thing to say about him.  Being more positive would begin to fill the void.  Making sure I stay faithful to my vows and service for the Lord would continue to fill the emptiness.  Treasuring the things Fr. Al treasured would be a great way to pay tribute to him and fill the void.

It’s time to say Goodbye to Fr. Al but I’m not saying goodbye to all the values he expressed in his life.  He will be missed by so many people but not forgotten by any.  My Goodbye to Fr. Al is also a Thank You to God for putting him in my life.  May he rest in peace!