Founder's Corner | My love for the Lord

As many of you know, during my recent visit to the Philippines I was unexpectedly hospitalized for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, I picked up a virulent infection, probably from an insect bite. My body had to fight cellulitis. Thankfully, we were able to access good medical help. It was a bit of a shock, having seven doctors tending to me over the hospital time, including seven days in ICU. The MGL brothers were magnificent in their care for me, both within the hospital and afterwards.

There’s nothing like a serious life-threatening sickness to bring you closer to Jesus and more aware of our utter dependency on him for everything.

So many people were praying for me, and their prayers bore fruit, not only in my physical recovery (praise the Lord!) but also in making this sickness a time of deeper union with the Lord.

I was grateful for the grace of being drawn more deeply into the experience of Jesus on the Cross, joining with him in his agony, surrendering all to the Father.

The whole journey deepened in me my love for the Lord, and also my love for all who suffer so much in this world.

The most profound lessons in life cannot be learnt from a book or in a classroom. I knew the Lord was teaching me much through this raw experience of the contingency of my life and what really matters in the end. So while I would not really want to go through the debilitating suffering again, I am deeply grateful that the Lord allowed me to experience my utter dependency on him and how our pilgrim life here on earth has only one purpose – to love him above all things and in and through all things, and to be united with him in his love for the world as he hung on the Cross for the sake of us all.

Thanks for all who have celebrated my 50th anniversary of priesthood with me, which was on 30th August. I am so grateful to the Lord for the way he has blessed me with the gift of priesthood and then made it so fruitful through the totally unexpected grace of the MGL.

My love to you all. Thanks for joining us in our MGL family.

Fr Ken MGL