Tom was only 58 years old when he died. For all we knew, he could have lived
another thirty years. Yet, his life was cut short by a massive heart attack in
his home. After his death we learned that Tom suffered from an autoimmune
disorder that apparently triggered his cardiac arrest.
Tom’s
motto “Spread the love!” meant spreading the love of Christ wherever he went:
at work, at church, and especially in the community. As he modestly conveyed
during one of his homilies, even waiting in line for a cup of coffee at a
convenience store gave him the opportunity to express the love of Christ. Thus,
hundreds of people waited in line some ninety minutes or more to honor Tom at
his wake on January 5. Our bond developed over the past two and a half years
mostly through short conversations before or after weekend Masses.
I’ve
been told that Tom’s relationship with our Lord was awakened at a Cursillo
weekend in the early ‘90s. That event also prompted him to become a deacon. I
had heard of Cursillo, but I wasn’t aware of its full impact until Tom invited
me to experience it during Columbus Day weekend 2015. I would describe that
excursion as a boot camp for Christians who want to recover from the effects of
our sin-saturated society. Tom’s affable, fun-loving and contagious personality
was fully on display as he served as the spiritual director for our group that
weekend.
Tom’s
training and service as a deacon in the Catholic Church shaped him and
continually prompted him to let the light of Christ shine through his attitudes
and actions. It’s no exaggeration to say that Tom fulfilled the instructions
given to church leaders in 1 Peter 5:2-3:
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care,
watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God
wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording
it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock (NIV).
People
in our parish often referred to Tom as the glue that held the parish together.
That’s because he listened, reached out, and sometimes smoothed ruffled
feathers. He expressed to one person that he felt a special calling to come
alongside priests to be an encouragement to them. On two occasions since I have
been part of the parish, Tom filled the leadership gap for several months when
we were without a permanent priest.
As
a Eucharistic Minister, I saw Tom relate lovingly to children, especially the
altar servers at the 10:30 Sunday morning Mass.
So,
what is our consolation as we mourn the loss of Deacon Tom, especially as we
consider that his life and ministry were curtailed? We are comforted when we
realize that the timing of Tom’s death was no surprise to our Lᴏʀᴅ whose purposes are beyond comprehension.
We are comforted as we contemplate the truth expressed by the poet, “Precious
in the sight of the Lᴏʀᴅ is the death of his faithful servants”
(Psalm 116:15). And we are comforted in the hope that when the Chief Shepherd
appears, Tom will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away (1 Peter
5:4).
May
the perpetual light of Christ shine upon you, Deacon Tom!
© Stan Bohall
January
22, 2018
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