Fr. Roland Calvert, OSFS
“God is God of the human heart.” These words taken from the Treatise on the Love of God serve as the spiritual bouquet for my Lenten journey. I returned to the bouquet several times this past week. Last week on March 12th, I celebrated my fourth funeral mass as Provincial for an Oblate, Fr. Roland Calvert, OSFS. I lived with Roland for 7 years at the faculty house at St. Francis de Sales School. As part of his ministry, he served as chaplain for the Adrian Dominicans for 22 years. During that time, he celebrated 600 funerals for them. Since I am someone who constantly runs out of homily material, I cannot imagine crafting 600 unique funeral homilies for the same audience. He did incredible ministry.
After Roland’s death, we were left with the task of cleaning out Roland’s room. I am so thankful for the Oblates in my community who help with this work. As I was cleaning, I realized this was the third time cleaning this same room. Looking at my 11 years at the faculty house, I’ve helped to clean out 15 rooms. If I am honest, a hardness and numbness started to creep into my heart, and a question slipped into my mind, “Should I continue to love the next Oblate who moves into this room? If I love again, I will just hurt again? Should I just protect my heart and not love?”
This past Sunday, one option for the Gospel was the passage of the death of Lazarus from the Gospel of John. Three words from that passage hit me. After hearing of Lazarus’ death and asking to see his tomb, the Gospel states, “And Jesus wept” (Jn 11:35). And there is my spiritual bouquet, “God is the God of the human heart.” Even in the face of grief and loss, Jesus decides to love anyway.
Should I love the next Oblate who moves into that room? Yes, grieve and love anyway. If I love again will I just hurt again? Yes, hurt and love anyway. Now my spiritual bouquet has changed, “Lord, You are the God of the human heart. Give my heart the grace to love, break, mend, and love anyway.”
May God be Praised!
Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS
Provincial
Toledo-Detroit Province
