Blessed are the Poor of Heart
June 2, 2023
By Fr. Paul A.
If you have ever visited us in Brooklyn, you may have met our friend Willy. And if you have met him, you certainly would remember him: a big man with a big heart, and quite a big share in the cross. Abandoned at birth, he was adopted by a Cherokee woman who had seven children of her own and lived in the Housing Projects — and whose heart melted at his sight. She and her husband raised Willy in the Catholic faith – a faith forever stamped with their faces and a faith which he has held onto despite the many storms he has weathered that have left him homebound and sick. Just when you would think he had given it all, a new cross was laid on his shoulders: last month, Willy’s right leg was amputated to stop the ramping, diabetes-induced infection of his limb. Stars are never as bright as when the night is at its darkest, and Willy’s faith has never been so surprisingly, miraculously uplifting.
I visited him with my parents and Willy, far from making his suffering the center of attention, welcomed us with his usual cheerfulness and good humor. As we walked out of his room two hours later, I quickly jotted down the gems that came out of his mouth, which I am happy to share with you here:
- About the “phantom pain” (which, he said, wakes him up screaming at night): “I feel my foot but it is not there. It makes me wonder… What else is there that I can’t see but that is real?”
- “God chose me for this task. This is a difficult task, an ugly one. And I have to carry it alone. But that’s my task. I feel chosen.”
- “After doing so much to get my life together, to try to lose weight, this happens. I feel I have no control over my life. Nonetheless, I feel fearless. I know nothing can happen to me. I know I am not alone. I know who are my friends. But why did God have to cut off my leg to teach me that ?” (He laughs).
- “I’m happy all the time, that’s my problem. People think I am crazy. I am happy because I know I am not alone.”
- “I’m in a situation where God gave me a choice between giving up on life or receiving life, the surprise of life.”
- “What is happening to me? Is God closer to me or is it just my faith becoming stronger?”
There is only one verse of the gospel to sum it all up and describe Willy: “Blessed are the poor of heart, the Kingdom of God is theirs.”