A heart so full

By Gabrielle Punch

I’ve never considered myself a religious person despite being raised in the Roman Catholic faith and household. Rather, I regarded myself as spiritual with a “special relationship with God”. I’ve also never been one to question His will.

So, when the unthinkable occurred during the thanksgiving Mass for my parents’ 60th wedding anniversary on August 21, there was no question that what we had witnessed was indeed divinely ordained.

My sister had once shared with me an anecdote about a First Communion she attended at the St Benedict’s RC church in La Romaine when Msgr Kenneth Spence was undoubtedly in contention for a Guinness World Record for the shortest homily ever. It went like this, “God. Is. Love. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen”.

During his three years at St Paul’s Parish in Couva, Msgr Spence had developed a very special relationship with my family, and particularly with my parents.

Throughout his 41 years of service at various parishes in Trinidad and Tobago, he had made several of these kinships, deeply spiritual connections. There was warmth about him, and many Sunday lunch invitations or special occasions came hand in hand with those he held close.

Msgr Spence was the chief celebrant for both my parents’ 40th and 50th wedding anniversary Masses, and this brought him much joy. At the start of the 60th year, when the conversation began about how to celebrate their next approaching milestone anniversary, once again he was asked.

My mom paid him another visit as she had always done in the past to ask him in person, and without hesitation, he was on board. His only request was that he would need transport to and from the church, since the Mass was being held at St Theresa’s in Woodbrook, the church where my parents were married on August 21, 1965.

Arrangements were made with two of his Mon Repos parishioners, a couple from south who were also invited guests.

The Mass commenced at about 10.32 a.m. and all proceedings followed as normal. I remember I was feeling a bit anxious thinking about the remarks I had written, which my sister and I were going to share later as part of the programme. We were going to take turns reading, but we hadn’t yet decided who would go first. By the Sign of Peace, I had let go of all my anxiety as we greeted each other. It was right after Communion, as the  meditation began, and he was behind the altar finishing the post-Communion rituals, that I took a moment to turn and lean over to my sister to whisper, “You read first”. Then suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw our friend Dianne waving at us and pointing forward saying: “Look, Father fell!”

I turned back towards the altar to see what had happened and to my dismay I saw his head on the floor at the side of the altar. I leapt to my feet and ran to him.

Over the next few days, I recollected and reflected upon how the last 60 years had culminated in such a miraculous series of events. I thought about that famous poem by theologian Robert H Smith, entitled, ‘The Clock of Life’, and how time had come full circle.

God is truly a Master Orchestrator! Think about this, St Theresa’s where my parents got married 60 years ago, was the same church where Msgr Spence was received into the Catholic Church just before he went into the Seminary.

In becoming a priest, he was ordained by God to reenact and memorialise Jesus’ Last Supper before He was crucified. Msgr Spence spent his last moments of life having just completed the consecration, while the choir sang the meditation hymn ‘Oh Lord, I know You are near…”

Also, the day’s Gospel reading from Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus’ well-known Parable of the Wedding banquet, ends with the line “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

In his final homily, Msgr Spence had reminded us that life was a gift, that we should be mindful about how we use our time, and the importance of being willing to adapt. Looking back, it now seems almost prophetic.

The spiritual synchronicity of it all leaves me not only marvelling at God’s unblemished record of impeccable timing, but also feeling that this was an absolute privilege to witness.

I feel especially blessed to have had Msgr Spence celebrate the last two decades of anniversaries with my parents, our family and closest friends. You could even say that the 60th had completed the trilogy.

Msgr Kenneth Spence was the epitome of LOVE, and he died while doing what he loved, for a couple he loved, while surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him.

With a heart so full, he had fulfilled his ultimate earthly destiny, and bowing his head, IT WAS FINISHED.