Cancer Sucks (And Prayers for Fr. Tom)

Our priest, and dear friend, Fr. Tom Kraft, OP announced this week that his cancer had further metastasized after a very hopeful 2-month, "chemo-vacation". He starts chemo again on Monday. The news, in and of itself, didn't really come as a surprise to those of us who know Fr. Tom and see him regularly: he'd lost weight in the past couple of weeks and well, he just somehow seemed a bit fragile and frail lately. Still, I cried when I read his blog posting sharing the news. It's one thing to suspect (and then hope and pray like crazy that you're wrong) and completely another to see those awful words in type staring you in the face. Yes, I cried. And I still find myself periodically crying at the most unexpected and inopportune times.

Fr. Tom is a man of deep faith. He still, somehow, finds the strength and courage to utter - and believe - the words, "Thy Will Be Done". I am in awe of him. He is so amazing. I, on the other hand, can no longer seem to get through the Lord's Prayer without crying these days. It's that damn phrase: "Thy Will Be Done". I want to pray it with sheer and utter conviction, but rather find myself caught up in a swirl of angry thoughts usually centering around the idea of "it's just not fair". And honestly, it isn't fair. It sucks. Cancer sucks. Watching someone you love suffer totally sucks. It really isn't fair. (Having been through this many times in my life, it doesn't get any easier either -- neither easier to handle, nor easier to understand.)

All I really understand is that there's nothing that I can do to control any of this. But I can pray. Fr. Tom's vision is fixed firmly on the Lord. Even though my heart is full of angst, I can honour my friend by setting my sights firmly on the Lord as well. So, I turn to the Lord, Our God, and pray that He has mercy on my friend, Fr. Tom. I pray, too, that our Mother, the Mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, will wrap her loving arms around our dear Fr. Tom in this, his time of need, and give him comfort and strength to face the days ahead.

When Fr. Tom was first diagnosed in February, his fellow Dominican brothers organized a novena to Blessed Teresa of Calcutta with the intention of his healing. The prayer spread like wildfire quite literally all over the world, with people who love Fr. Tom praying it in all the corners of the earth. I believe that it was this prayer, and the intercession of Blessed Teresa, that garnered Fr. Tom his 2-month "chemo-vacation". (Fr. Tom has a special devotion to Mother Teresa and even met her once!) So, with this in mind, the Young Adults at Blessed Sacrament chose to reinstate the novena. We began praying it on Thursday evening and will continue to pray it every day until our dear friend, Fr. Tom, is healed. If you find it in your heart, please join us in this prayer for our beloved priest and friend.