The Essence of Christianity
On Friday morning, March 11, 2005, Sister Peg Hynes' sisters, Pat Hynes and Sister Jodie Hynes, came to Mass at Sacred Heart. They wanted to pray where Sr. Peg had labored and prayed for 16 years. Indeed they have prayed since she was senselessly killed on December 21, 2002 by a car driven by a man with his knees on the steering wheel while his hands were on a pipe of crack cocaine. It had had been passed to him by his wife. Now almost 27 months later, the two were sentenced on Friday to a total of 30 years in prison between them. Not much comfort in that as Sister Jodie would say in the courtroom. "I am sad at the sense that people of promise could throw away what life had held for them." Muriel Prickitt injured in the crash that killed Peg said: "I know Peg is praying for these people."
Lent has moved into Holy Week, when we see again that evil and good crashed on Calvary and the blood of the lamb absorbed the evil violence that spilled it.
The Hynes sisters are hurt more than anyone else by the tragic loss of Sister Peg. As Cathy Hynes Pfeiffer said after lauding the awesome goodness of her sister: "That was the heart that was crushed that night. The ache in my heart has not healed."
But nevertheless, Sister Jodie speaking for her two sisters in Camden, and her sister, Mary, in North Carolina gave us a lesson for Lent that is the essence of Christianity.
Well does she know that Jesus turned a bad Friday into Good Friday by the transforming power of his all forgiving love. "Peg" she said "was a spark of life in a dark city. The time for anger is past. It is what Sister Peg would have wanted. Mr. and Mrs. Chincillo, I forgive you and promise you a remembrance in my prayers. Peg is now watching over us from a different place. May each of us sense her presence and may she rest in peace."
