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'The Best Is Yet to Be'

By CARDINAL JOHN J. O'CONNOR

Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made:
Our times are in His hand
Who saieth, "A whole I planned,
Youth shouts but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!"

I have come to understand these famous words of Robert Browning with a profundity that I could never have imagined in my youth. How would I have known that after eight decades the best is yet to be!

On Monday of this week I was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal. Imagine the surprise of a kid from Philadelphia being awarded such a prestigious honor from the Congress of the United States. This kid from Philadelphia could never have imagined in his youth that he would one day be a priest for more than 55 years, a bishop, an archbishop and a cardinal. This kid from Philadelphia could never have imagined that he would spend 27 wonderful years proudly wearing the uniforms of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually attain the rank of Rear Admiral. But, it happened.

Many would think that this medal is awarded to John Cardinal O'Connor, for that is the name the medal, yet to be minted, will bear. On closer examination, however, it is a recognition of so many others who have been instrumental in helping me, despite my own weaknesses and failings, to serve the Church and my country for these many, many years.

As I told my brother bishops in reference to my tenure as Archbishop of New York as they gathered for their November meeting, "It has been a great ride!" It has, indeed, been so because of the companions I have had on this great journey, and I am well aware that it is to all of these as much as to myself that this Congressional Gold Medal is awarded.

They are the companions who work with me to maintain a standard of education for all our children. They are the companions who work with me to achieve a system of health care which not only provides the very best medical care but also respects and preserves the sanctity of every human life at every stage, from conception through natural death. They are the companions who stand with me to defend organized labor and unions. They are the companions who help me to lift up the poor and the downtrodden. They are the companions who join me fighting every form of racism and bigotry. They are Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims.

I am immensely grateful. I am especially indebted to Congressman Vito Fosella of Staten Island, who initiated the process which led to Monday's presentation. I am indebted to all the members of both Houses of Congress who spoke so kindly of me in their proceedings. I am indebted, most of all, to Tom and Dorothy O'Connor, my parents, whose love for me and my siblings engendered in us a love for God and country, though if they were to read the generous descriptions of me in the Congressional proceedings they would hardly believe that the Congress of the United States of America could be speaking of their son, Jack, whom they knew all too well.

President Ronald Reagan often brought a smile to our faces when he would joke about his age. I was sitting next to President Reagan when President George Washington received one of the first Congressional Gold Medals. Now, I finally have one of my own.

Those haunting words of Robert Browning never meant more to me. And by the grace of God, the best is yet to be!

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