Retired Auxiliary Bishop A. Edward Pevec was a priest whom I have admired since I first met him in 1974 when I entered the high school seminary and he was the rector (principal). His holiness was obvious; he was a man of prayer, he was kind to everyone, he could be firm but was also gentle, he had a good sense of humor, he was friendly and made everyone he met feel that they were special, important.
I would describe him as the angel described Mary in the gospel today: as someone “full of grace.” To be full of grace is to be receptive to God’s many gifts (graces). We all have Mary as an example of holiness, but we also need people we know personally, people God has placed in our lives, who show us what it is like to be full of grace. Who are those people in your life?
At the end of the gospel, Mary says to the angel: “Let it be done to me according to God’s word.” In other words, let God’s will be done in me. At the bottom of Bishop Pevec’s coat of arms is his motto: “I have come to do you will.” May we, who are full of grace, do God’s will so that others will be able to say of us that we are a blessing in their life.