Live A Worthy Life
Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit
through the bond of peace;
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:1-6)
The manner is which we live our lives tells so much about us.
I am thinking about that today because of a special young woman: Colleen Lusk.
Colleen Lusk was one of our parishioners who passed away one year ago today at the age of 16 from Cystic Fibrosis. Cystic Fibrosis is an awful disease that robs a person of the ability to breathe freely because of all the secretions in the lungs. It causes a whole gamut of medical problems as well, leaving the person afflicted feeling weak and out of sorts.
Colleen was a person who lived the virtues listed above. She was humble, gentle, patient and loving. She encouraged her family and friends to care for one another and she never lost faith in a God who was with her in her struggles and whom she knew would be waiting for her at the end of her days here on earth.
Colleen left a legacy of love that has affected so many of her classmates and schoolmates. She taught us all that life was worth living and living to the fullest. She also taught us not to let anything keep us down.
She was a different kind of “prisoner” than St. Paul was. She was a prisoner to a feeble, failing body. But she was truly free — struggling to do as much as she could.
She is still missed greatly by so many people. I ask you to say a prayer for her grieving family and friends today.
FAITH ACTION: Pray as well for all people afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis and pray that they may one day — soon — find a cure for this disease.