The Most Heroic Thing I Have Ever Witnessed

Inside Catholic ^ | January 21, 2009 | Mark Shea

[NYer]

On January 11, my family went to noon Mass at Blessed Sacrament parish in Seattle. It was being celebrated by our visiting priest, but after he processed up to the altar, we were astonished to see that Father Tom Kraft had taken a seat beside him.

Father Tom is one of the sweetest and holiest men I have ever known: a thoroughly priestly man with a profound sense of his vocation, a deep love for the poor, a beautiful humility, and a sheer radiant goodness.

He is also dying of esophageal cancer that has metastasized. We've been praying for him for months, but God has made it clear that He picks the fruit when it is ripe. So Father Tom ended his chemotherapy some weeks back, went to Spokane to say goodbye to his loved ones, and returned to us at Blessed Sacrament to spend his last days surrounded by brother priests in the rectory -- and to say goodbye to all of us.

After the homily, Father Daniel Syverstad, our pastor, had to give a brief report on financial matters, but then he gave (as he had done at all the previous Masses) a report on Father Tom. He was as astonished and moved as the rest of us to see Father Tom there, so much so that his normally dry and imperturbable Norwegian demeanor was shaken, as were we all. His voice trembled a couple of times and he said the beautiful truth about Father Tom: that he was one of the finest and most beloved priests Blessed Sacrament has ever had (which is saying a lot, because we've been blessed with extraordinary men, some of whom I believe will be canonized someday). Father Tom, with typical humility, cried as the people spontaneously applauded him. Well done, thou good and faithful!

But that was not all. This supremely loving man who could barely sit up through the Mass actually stood and assisted at the consecration. You could barely hear his voice -- a thin, papery whisper that demanded everything of him (the cancer has spread to his lungs). But he did it, gripping a chair to keep his balance and then leaning on the altar itself.

 

"Through Him, with Him, in Him." I've never seen the meaning of the priesthood so clearly incarnated before my eyes. Alter Christus. Priest. Victim. Sacrifice. This man and his Lord were standing so close together it was hard to tell them apart, especially from my seat up in the Nosebleed Section of the Human Race, so very far from that kind of sanctity.

They made it through the consecration and someone hurried to Father Tom's side to help him. I thought to myself, "For the love of God, go sit down, Father Tom. You've done enough."

But instead, this great man insisted on coming down with the Body of his Lord and distributing the Eucharist to us. He gave every last bit of himself out of love for God and for us. I was very tempted to change communion lines and receive from him (and I know others who actually did), because I knew I was looking at a saint. But instead, I just went up in my line, bawling, grieving, moved, and grateful beyond words for what I was witnessing.

After it was all over, Father Tom processed out and even stood on the steps of the church in the January cold, greeting people, blessing them, giving (as much as any soldier at Gettysburg or Normandy) "the last full measure of devotion." I had the great honor of shaking his hand and squeezing his bony arm, thanking him (and telling him he should really go lie down and rest). He said, "This gives me energy." Later, I'm told, he asked the Dominicans to take him for a car ride around town. They marveled -- and complied.

My eyes blur with tears as I write this. My wife said afterwards that she thought of Henry V's speech, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers." I felt so privileged and honored to be able to witness what I saw that day. A friend of mine said, "I have been to Mass at the Garden of Gethsemane. I have prayed at the tomb of Christ and celebrated Holy Week in Jerusalem. But I have never been as moved by a Mass as I was by what I saw today."

Father, thanks be to God for your holy servant, Tom. We know he has to go soon, but we also know he will be happy with you. Grant him the grace of a happy death through out Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless you, Father Tom, for your beautiful gift of your heart and your life. We love you.

[NYer]

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Mark P. Shea is a senior editor for www.CatholicExchange.com and a columnist for InsideCatholic. Visit his blog at www.markshea.blogspot.com.

[NYer]

Many prayers for this holy priest.

[Kimmers]

Where is the Kleenex alert ?

Father Tom is a humble servant of God.... in spite of his weakness and pain he sought to serve others.... That congregation was blessed that day to see the miracle and love of God.

[supremedoctrine]

Beautifully expressed.

[NavyCanDo]

I heard it said once that, - “as a Christian, the day I die will be the best day I’ve ever lived. But it won’t be the best I will ever live.”

The Heaven John wrote about in the Bible is so full of wonders and mysteries that in our wildest dreams we could not imagine it. Certainly Heaven contains many surprises which we will never be able to comprehend in this life. And it will never be boring.
I like to explain it in this mortal way. Think back to the one single best day of your whole life. Maybe it was your wedding, the birth of your child, your first trip to Disneyland, the anniversary cruise with your spouse, whatever. Now imagine each day in Heaven being that kind of happiness multiplied 100-fold, and the number of those days will be endless. That is what I firmly believe Heaven will be like. Is it no wonder that John saw All the Heavenly host worshiping the creator of it all.

[AnAmericanMother]

The green fields of Heaven are his.

[agere_contra]

Now imagine each day in Heaven being that kind of happiness multiplied 100-fold, and the number of those days will be endless.

Well put. Heaven will be better than we can possibly guess.

Jokey cartoons about clouds and harps obfuscate and diminish the all-consuming wonder and joy of Heaven. May we all know it, including the monsters of the Left (may they repent!).

[Jenny217]

Thank you for sharing this story. It was a blessing.

[ConorMacNessa]

Thank God for priests like Father Tom - now my screen is getting all blurry! Prayers going up!

[Turbo Pig]

Father Tom is a humble servant of God.... in spite of his weakness and pain he sought to serve others.

There seems to be a lot of that going around. Last Saturday, our Pastor conducted the funeral of his 29 daughter (a young lady who was filled with joy and love of Christ). I am telling you, the Holy Spirit was in him, because it was by far the best sermon he has given (IMO) on salvation and living for Christ. The strength he showed in getting through it was way beyond what any man who loved his daughter as much as our Pastor did/does could do on his own.

[LuigiBasco]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful Story. I've never had so many tears in my eyes from an FR post before.
We needed this at this critical time in out country!

Luigi

[Tennessee Nana]

What a blessing this man is to the Body of Christ...

Prayers for Father Tom...

[elpadre]

that is a moving and beautiful witness to one of God’s most Holy gifts to His people. We all thank God for Fr. Tom and those who He has touched through Him, an obedient and humble servant.

[Salvation]

What a moving story.

[NYer]

I heard it said once that, - “as a Christian, the day I die will be the best day I’ve ever lived. But it won’t be the best I will ever live.”

Thank you ... I had never heard that saying before. It seems all those who have near death experiences always say they will never fear death again.

The Heaven John wrote about in the Bible is so full of wonders and mysteries that in our wildest dreams we could not imagine it.

So true. Have you ever read the visions of Don Bosco? His description of heaven is here.

[NavyCanDo]

“Have you ever read the visions of Don Bosco?”

No, never heard of him. It is an interesting read, Weather its an actual peak into Heaven or not, I am pretty certain it is much like he said.