Rev. Kevin Fazio

“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)

Scripture scholars have studied and speculated what Jesus could have possibly meant when he spoke these words during what is called the Last Supper Discourse in The Gospel of John. Some say that he was speaking about the sacraments as the greater things; others say that it is the miraculous healings that have taken place since Jesus’ Resurrection.

Regardless, what is evident is that Jesus remains present even in his (physical) absence, and that these works are not done on our own accord, but rather by our cooperation with his graces.

These great works happen all the time, not just during times of crisis and suffering. We so often take them for granted, or come to expect “the norm.”

The people who are cooperating with God’s graces during this time of great challenge are the ones doing these greater things in the spring of 2020. Locally, it is evident to me in the fields of medicine and education.

Meds and Eds This is the phrase that has been around for a few decades, referring to how the fields of medicine and education spearhead community renewal in areas of the country where other industries were once the backbones of the community. In our area, that industry was primarily related to steel manufacturing. The city of Pittsburgh is a wonderful and successful example of the meds and eds model of revitalization.

What we are discovering now is that meds and eds are at the center of the root word of revitalization … they are absolutely vital for a society to be sustained, and to grow.

Kudos to everyone involved in the medical field, specifically amongst members in our Butler Health System, who have done an outstanding job with adjusting to and dealing with the demands and challenges of the coronavirus.

Props to everyone working in education who have adapted, and continue to adapt to 100 percent distance learning. Like many others, I have enjoyed listening to the radio lessons given by Butler Area School District teachers during mornings on WISR 680AM.

Additionally, Butler Catholic School teachers have been conducting online classroom sessions for a number of weeks now.

The faculty and staff’s dedication, patience, and openness to learning new ways of teaching are to be commended, especially in such unprecedented times.

Many other people are doing great works too.

Many of them are you, and many of you know who they are.

God knows who they are as well.

The Rev. Kevin Fazio is administrator of Butler Area Catholic Parishes which includes St. Andrew, St. Fidelis, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Paul and St. Peter churches.