ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Family of fallen Officer John Pawlowski,
especially you, Kim, who lovingly carry your unborn child and John’s,
Distinguished Authorities: religious and civil,
Colleagues and co-workers of the Police Department,
Friends and fellow Parishioners,
Citizens of Philadelphia,

Once again the mystery of iniquity has been revealed in our midst. The power of evil with its terror of violence that has taken the life of Officer John Pawlowski has touched all our lives. Above all, it has sown deep anguish in the hearts of Officer Pawlowski’s family, beginning with his beloved wife Kim. This violence has even invaded the sacred precincts of the womb and affected the life of the unborn innocent child, who is deprived of a father but who will still express forever the legacy of love of both parents.

As the reality of iniquity and human perversion unfolds once again in our community, so also does the reality of human goodness, compassion and love. The great challenge to overcome evil with good is never vanquished. The hope that God places in our hearts can never be extinguished.

Today we gather together to pray. We pray for our dedicated Officer, who was a loving husband, an expectant father, a beloved son and brother, a loyal friend and an upright Christian. We ask God to receive him into His eternal kingdom of justice, peace and love. We pray for his wife, their unborn child and all the family, that they may have strength, and grieve not as those who have no hope. We pray that God’s mercy and compassion will be mirrored in the loving understanding, support and solidarity of so many upright people who understand the deep meaning of Christ’s words to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.

We pray for our city and all its citizens that we may all recognize the primacy of God in our society and the inviolability of all human life, and be recommitted to God’s commandments written in our hearts, especially, "Thou shalt not kill!"

We pray for all innocent victims of violence, whom only a just and merciful God can vindicate. But, we pray also for those unjust perpetrators who have also defiled and violated their own human dignity, and who need conversion and repentance if they are to receive God’s forgiveness and avoid eternal perdition. Only with the conversion of human hearts can our society itself be rescued from the plague of violence. What is not possible, however, for man is indeed possible for God, and so we invoke God to change human hearts, even as we recommit ourselves to the task of inculcating in the young the values of mutual respect and love, and the necessary discipline for society to function properly.

At this time we renew our admiration and gratitude for the Philadelphia Police Department and all their colleagues throughout our Commonwealth, as well as for all public servants who seek to serve and generously protect and defend their fellow citizens, whom they consider beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Today, from the perspective of faith in the living God, we turn to the Sacred Scriptures, knowing that the Lord offers us the consolation of His word. Realizing the enormous anguish in the hearts of Officer Pawlowski’s family and devoted friends we confidently recall the assurance of the prophet Isaiah, who says: "The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces .... Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!"

At the same time in the words of Psalm 25, we continue to cry out: "To you, O Lord, I lift my soul." And we add:

"Remember that your compassion, O Lord,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.

"Relieve the troubles of my heart;
and bring me out of my distress.
Put an end to my affliction and my suffering;
and take away all my sins.

"Preserve my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
because I wait for you, O Lord."

The greatest consolation of our faith in God comes from Christ’s promise to us of resurrection and eternal life. Saint Paul encourages us with these words:"Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.... For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ."

Finally, the words of Jesus Himself, the Son of God, have an enormous power to uplift us and to sustain us all in the midst of crushing anguish: "Do not let your hearts be troubled.... And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be..... ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.’"

Dear friends: As a community of compassionate people of good will, we will continue to do our best to offer solidarity to Kim and all of Officer Pawlowski’s family, friends and colleagues. And the loving consolation that exceeds all our power to impart we invoke from God, our tender and merciful Father, who alone can confirm us in a hope more powerful than death and in a love that overcomes evil with good. Amen.