Of the late Mayor Ed Koch of New York:

I loved Cardinal OConnor as a brother. Since his death, I have kept his funeral memorial card on my desk. When Im depressed, which occasionally I am, I hold the card and become reinvigorated. Indeed, I believe holding his photo when I was in the hospital for six weeks in June of 2009 cured my spinal stenosis. Ive been free of pain ever since. I told this story to President Obamas former Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, brother of former Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago. He asked me if he could borrow the photo.Edward Cardinal Egan visited me in the hospital when I was in danger of dying from complications of quadruple bypass surgery. I said to him, Your Eminence, Im not afraid of dying. Ive had a very good life, and if God now needs a good Jewish lawyer, Im happy to go to Him. He replied, Dont worry, Hes not calling you and youre not going. Your rates are too high. He was right and here I am.

May Ed Koch rest know the fulness of peace!More here.

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is a longtime Commonweal contributor.

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