A great evangelist

Yesterday at Mass, there was a petition for all who have died, especially for John Paul Kilner. I heard someone whisper to her son, "He was that little boy who died." This morning I came across an article in the Washington Examiner about little John Paul. He was only 14 months old when he died of spinal muscular atrophy, but as the article explains, he had a tremendous impact without ever uttering a word.

Father Drew Royals, Pat's high school friend, gave the homily. He said to Pat and Elena, "You saw so clearly that John Paul's life possessed a dignity that was radically equal to that of everybody else. His medical condition was simply the battlefield upon which this young warrior-prince would carry out his campaign."

At the funeral Mass, we mourned a calamity. The pain of JP's death pierces the heart, again and again.

Also, we thanked God we were blessed with John Paul for 442 days. Fr. Drew reminded us that "this blessing carries with it a great responsibility."

"If our love for this little one has enlarged our hearts," Fr. Drew said, "then that means that now we must love all the more. Your work is not done."

You can read the article by Tim Carney here.

You can also read the blog, "Letters to John Paul" written by his parents.