When he was in seminary, Farrow interned as deacon at St. Vincent's Medical Center and worked with terminally ill patients. As the end nears, Farrow told me, people say the things they never could utter. They are "more alive than ever . . . because they realize the futility of fear." He found them all contemplating the same questions.
"Were you true to your conscience? Did you do what you felt was right?"
And one more.
"What do you have in the end but the love you gave away?"
October 27, 2008
The Futility of Fear
In an interview this past weekend with Steve Lopez of the Los Angeles Times, Father Geoff Farrow closed with a simple expression of a great truth.
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4 comments:
Those two statements are so true, they are the only things that matter in the end.
The futility of fear is what needs to be ingrained into kids, what I wish was ingrained in me. It seems like I struggle against fear all the time and over the most insignificant things.
Oooo...that's deep. Thanks for sharing.
I generally don't think about death too much, but if today were my last day, I'm confident I'd be going out living my life to the fullest. Five years ago, I wouldn't have said that.
Yes, such good thoughts to keep in mind, ones I regularly lose sight of. And what's worse, so often I realize I'm holding myself back out of fear of being EMBARRASSED, not hurt or damaged in any serious way. And I chose a career where embarrassment is a practically a job requirement. Good lord.
Thanks for this.
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