From Father Glenn:
Today is Monday, January 19. Here is the latest update on Fr. Benedict.
Much appears to be the same on the surface, yet we are hoping much improvement is happening in hiding. Father's heart rate has slightly improved, but his blood pressure dipped a bit - two areas that are continually being monitored by his attending nurses.
A plastic surgeon examined the two head wounds which are now unbandaged and slowly healing. Father has one small but deep puncture right above his right eye which should heal in time. The second is a "Y" shaped wound more to the back of the skull. The mere fact the doctors are speaking of cosmetic surgery "in the future" gives us great hope!
They had Father in a slightly raised position to prevent fluid building up in the lungs; now he is lying prone due to some fluid buildup in the legs. The fear of pneumonia is keeping everyone on alert. Please, continue to "attack the enemy" with your prayers to the Holy Spirit. Begin and end your prayer by taking a good deep breath - fill your lungs, then slowly let the air out. This is what puts oxygen into the blood and what is not happening due to Father's shallow breathing.
Father John Lynch and the friars will continue to read, pray, and sing to Father as they have been doing sweetly and gently. Tomorrow, they will be making a greater effort to stimulate the senses - especially sound and touch. There will be a slight reduction of sedatives so that Father will come out of the "fog". There appears to be no brain damage and Father Benedict is not in a coma; nevertheless, the body has experienced severe trauma - a real "shock to the system" to say the very least.
A number of people have mentioned they have read our prayer for Father on EWTN. Perhaps if we make copies, we can be praying together in a very special way. I will give you another update, if God wills, tomorrow night. God bless you!
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Monday, January 19, 2004
Blessed Orthodox Epiphany!!!
Today the Russian Orthodox celebrate Epiphany. They bless the water and all over Russia and Eastern Europe believers bathe themselves in the blessed water.
Yes, that is ice they are standing on folks! The temperarture was about 31 degrees.
Yes, that is ice they are standing on folks! The temperarture was about 31 degrees.
At an Undisclosed Location?
Vice President Cheney to meet with Pope John Paul II this Friday...IHT: Cheney to lead group at economic forum
Martin Luther King
This past summer on our way to Florida, Amy and I stopped at the gravesite of Martin Luther King Jr. I had been there before, a number of times. Though it is close to downtown, there is a quiet that persist--obviously this was not the case the other day when President Bush was there--but the times I've been there, although a crowd is present, most are quiet, reflecting.
What are they reflecting on?
Non-violence, peaceful protest, offer no resistence--the teachings of Christ! For what made Dr. King's message different and in the end successful was the apparent failure of it. Like the master he preached--his tomb stands like a cross planted squarely in the middle of the south. The relecting pool surrounding it reflects the faces of humanity who walk around it.
It was Christian faith, radical belief in the message of Jesus that led the civil rights movement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and sadly that very faith has been forgotten by many who wish to follow in his footprints. But who can blame them when they see the tomb of Dr. King, they see the price of the taking up one's cross and following the master.
We also visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church nearby. I had never been inside the church before--since it was undergoing renovations. Amy and I were both shocked at how small it was--having seen in on television countless times, it seemed large. But alas it wasn't..."if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to that mountain."
There will be many talks given today, that will laud Dr. King and his contribution to our society. There will be many proclamations about the progress we have made and some lamentation about how much further we have to go. But the saddest indictment will not be that we have not moved far enough in recognizing all people as our brothers and sisters--but rather that most of us have forgotten the one Father that we share that makes us all brothers and sisters!
At the Loraine Motel in Memphis, TN where Dr. King was shot there is a historical marker with a quote from Genesis..."here comes that dreamer, let us put an end to him and then see what becomes of his dream." Of course the dreamer spoken of in Genesis is Joseph and his dream was given to him by God and nothing men could do could destroy or keep that dream from coming to fruition. Ultimately God always wins...
What are they reflecting on?
Non-violence, peaceful protest, offer no resistence--the teachings of Christ! For what made Dr. King's message different and in the end successful was the apparent failure of it. Like the master he preached--his tomb stands like a cross planted squarely in the middle of the south. The relecting pool surrounding it reflects the faces of humanity who walk around it.
It was Christian faith, radical belief in the message of Jesus that led the civil rights movement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and sadly that very faith has been forgotten by many who wish to follow in his footprints. But who can blame them when they see the tomb of Dr. King, they see the price of the taking up one's cross and following the master.
We also visited the Ebenezer Baptist Church nearby. I had never been inside the church before--since it was undergoing renovations. Amy and I were both shocked at how small it was--having seen in on television countless times, it seemed large. But alas it wasn't..."if you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to that mountain."
There will be many talks given today, that will laud Dr. King and his contribution to our society. There will be many proclamations about the progress we have made and some lamentation about how much further we have to go. But the saddest indictment will not be that we have not moved far enough in recognizing all people as our brothers and sisters--but rather that most of us have forgotten the one Father that we share that makes us all brothers and sisters!
At the Loraine Motel in Memphis, TN where Dr. King was shot there is a historical marker with a quote from Genesis..."here comes that dreamer, let us put an end to him and then see what becomes of his dream." Of course the dreamer spoken of in Genesis is Joseph and his dream was given to him by God and nothing men could do could destroy or keep that dream from coming to fruition. Ultimately God always wins...
Her Silent Fight
Reflections by Father Rob Johansen and Peter Vere on what Terri Schiavo has taught them about the culture of life. Found at Lay Witness
Latest Update on Father Benedict
Father Andrew Apostoli spoke to me and asked that we keep praying for Father. The medcated fog is necessary, he said, to conserve Father's strength to fight off all the trauma that his body has endured.
From Father Glenn's Letter of 1/18/04:
Sunday was for Fr. Benedict what Sunday should be - a day of rest. Today there was no scheduled procedures, at least not medically speaking. Thanks to a quiet and devout layman, Fr. Benedict received some spiritual therapy as he was blest with a relic of Saint Francis of Assisi. It seems that Saint Francis made it to Fr. Benedict's side before Blessed Mother Teresa! Evidently a friend who was bringing the relic from Calcutta got unexpectedly stranded in London. Now guess where he's spending the night? Our friary in London!
The situation with Father is still somewhat the same -nothing too new, nothing too bad - at least from what we can see. There is still no immediate response to stimuli except the slight raising of his eyebrow. Remember, that medicinal "fog" Father's swimming in? Well, this is caused not only by the accumulated sedatives in his system together with the prescribed medicine to ease pain, but it may also be the excess blood from the head wound which still needs to be absorbed into Father's system. This accumulated blood on the brain may be suppressing his ability to readily respond to stimuli like voice commands or touch. So, perhaps when the blood is absorbed things might look better. There is no talk about any neurological damage at this time.
Here's the dilemma: sedatives are necessary to ease the pain which reduces stress on the heart, yet Father needs to break through this thick fog he's in. What to do? While the medical people do their thing, we'll do ours. Let's make our prayer not only sincere, but also clear!
From Father Glenn's Letter of 1/18/04:
Sunday was for Fr. Benedict what Sunday should be - a day of rest. Today there was no scheduled procedures, at least not medically speaking. Thanks to a quiet and devout layman, Fr. Benedict received some spiritual therapy as he was blest with a relic of Saint Francis of Assisi. It seems that Saint Francis made it to Fr. Benedict's side before Blessed Mother Teresa! Evidently a friend who was bringing the relic from Calcutta got unexpectedly stranded in London. Now guess where he's spending the night? Our friary in London!
The situation with Father is still somewhat the same -nothing too new, nothing too bad - at least from what we can see. There is still no immediate response to stimuli except the slight raising of his eyebrow. Remember, that medicinal "fog" Father's swimming in? Well, this is caused not only by the accumulated sedatives in his system together with the prescribed medicine to ease pain, but it may also be the excess blood from the head wound which still needs to be absorbed into Father's system. This accumulated blood on the brain may be suppressing his ability to readily respond to stimuli like voice commands or touch. So, perhaps when the blood is absorbed things might look better. There is no talk about any neurological damage at this time.
Here's the dilemma: sedatives are necessary to ease the pain which reduces stress on the heart, yet Father needs to break through this thick fog he's in. What to do? While the medical people do their thing, we'll do ours. Let's make our prayer not only sincere, but also clear!
Sunday, January 18, 2004
Fear of Pneumonia and Father Groeschel
Here is the latest update on Father Benedict from Father Glenn:
Today is Saturday, January 17, and here is a brief update on Fr. Benedict's condition.
Fr. John Lynch, a close friend and a diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of New York, continues to stay close by Fr. Benedict. He reports to me that Fr. Benedict had "a good day" and is stable in the wake of last night's extensive surgery. The leg was masterfully attended to thanks to the Holy-Spirit guided hands of a wonderful orthopedic surgeon and his assistant. Evidently, the right arm still needs work but it isn't a major concern for his doctor at this time. The incision in the abdomen is now safely closed. As planned, the doctors did place small "screens" or "filters" in the lower abdomen to prevent any blood clots from the lower extremities traveling to the heart, lungs, and brain. The bandages to the head wound were changed. This wound doesn't appear to be problematic at this point.
Fr. Conrad and Br. Sharbel both report that Father's color looks good, and the overall swelling of the face and body has greatly diminished. Father Benedict still remains in a "deep fog" because of the sedatives. The doctors want to slowly but surely diminish the amount of these pain-reducing medicines so that he can begin to respond to stimulus. From what I have been told, this is important; they don't want him to stay in this "fog" too long.
Although Father doesn't immediately respond to simple commands (e.g. move finger, etc.), he did flinch when the head bandage was being changed! Although no one wants to cause Father any pain, his reaction to pain is actually good. He has to in some way, struggle out of his drug induced sleep.
While these are good signs, we all must now turn our attention to an enemy on the horizon -pneumonia. At the time of the accident, like many of us, Father had a cold with some congestion. Also, although Father has been breathing on his own with the aid of a respirator, his breathing has been quite shallow. As he lies still in one place, fluid buildup in the lungs is almost inevitable. The doctors can almost see the enemy ready to attack.
Today is Saturday, January 17, and here is a brief update on Fr. Benedict's condition.
Fr. John Lynch, a close friend and a diocesan priest from the Archdiocese of New York, continues to stay close by Fr. Benedict. He reports to me that Fr. Benedict had "a good day" and is stable in the wake of last night's extensive surgery. The leg was masterfully attended to thanks to the Holy-Spirit guided hands of a wonderful orthopedic surgeon and his assistant. Evidently, the right arm still needs work but it isn't a major concern for his doctor at this time. The incision in the abdomen is now safely closed. As planned, the doctors did place small "screens" or "filters" in the lower abdomen to prevent any blood clots from the lower extremities traveling to the heart, lungs, and brain. The bandages to the head wound were changed. This wound doesn't appear to be problematic at this point.
Fr. Conrad and Br. Sharbel both report that Father's color looks good, and the overall swelling of the face and body has greatly diminished. Father Benedict still remains in a "deep fog" because of the sedatives. The doctors want to slowly but surely diminish the amount of these pain-reducing medicines so that he can begin to respond to stimulus. From what I have been told, this is important; they don't want him to stay in this "fog" too long.
Although Father doesn't immediately respond to simple commands (e.g. move finger, etc.), he did flinch when the head bandage was being changed! Although no one wants to cause Father any pain, his reaction to pain is actually good. He has to in some way, struggle out of his drug induced sleep.
While these are good signs, we all must now turn our attention to an enemy on the horizon -pneumonia. At the time of the accident, like many of us, Father had a cold with some congestion. Also, although Father has been breathing on his own with the aid of a respirator, his breathing has been quite shallow. As he lies still in one place, fluid buildup in the lungs is almost inevitable. The doctors can almost see the enemy ready to attack.
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