David Gibson has already reported on the death this morning of Cardinal Avery Dulles after some months of growing physical paralysis that did not diminish his mental alertness or his spiritual radiance.I had the privilege and grace of being able to visit with him several times during his stay at the Jesuit infirmary near Fordham. I always came away with a sense of being blessed by his presence and witness.And, after each visit, the words of St. Paul to the Corinthians always sprang to mind:

So death is at work in us, but life in you...Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed on more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.Therefore we are not discouraged; rather, although our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to what is seen, but to what is unseen. For what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor 5: 12-18)