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The Power of a Promise

April 26, 2007

I first came into contact with this story several years ago when I was interviewing
Dr. Wayne Dyer on a radio program I was hosting. Dr. Dyer wrote a book called
A Promise is a Promise - a true story of a mother who has cared for a comatose
daughter for many years. Well, the many years is now thirty-seven years, and
seventy-nine-year-old Kate O'Bara continues to care for her daughter Edwarda
who for all these many years has been in a diabetic coma. Her care is the
fulfillment of a promise. As she was slipping into unconsciousness, Edwarda
appealed to her mother, "Mommy, don't ever leave me." "I will never leave you,
" was her mother's reply and Kate O'Bara has kept that promise steadfastly
since 1970.

Certainly, the road has not been easy. Florida Catholic reports that the family
is $200,000 in debt and Kate herself is not well. When asked about all of that,
her response is, "I rely on faith. If you don't have faith, you don't have anything."

This is an amazing story of deep faith and profound loyalty. It gets us all thinking
about the many Kate O'Bara's that are out there, quietly and sacrificially caring
for children and adult children who are unable to care for themselves. People
for whom the last resort is faith.

In the Aeneid, Virgil continually refers to the hero Aeneas as "pius Aeneas,"
"faithful Aeneas." We often use the word "pious" to mean someone who is
deeply religious, and that is a true definition, but at its root the word means
"faithful." The virtue of faithfulness such as that exemplified by Kate O'Bara is
a remarkable thing. There is something very special about it. We could even
say that there is even something sacred about it. And the reason we can use
the word "sacred" is that such faithfulness is a mirror of the faithfulness of God to
us, his people. Throughout the Old Testament, the faithfulness of God is highlighted,
with the understanding that we are to be faithful to the covenant because he is faithful.
When we hear Kate O'Bara say to her daughter, "I will never leave you," can we
not at the same time hear the words of Jesus saying, "Behold, I am with you always?"

The story of Kate O'Bara can serve as an inspiration to all of us to check our
faithfulness quotient. Are we faithful to those whom God has put into our care? Is
faithfulness to a promise an important concept for us? Are we, by our faithfulness
in our daily living, mirroring the faithfulness of God?

It's a huge challenge, but it's an important way to fulfill our purpose here on earth
to make the world a better place with the help of God.

--Father Paul Keenan, Office of Communications