My first encounter with John Webster was during our orientation day here at St Andrews a few years back. We both were new arrivals, and went through a day of shall we say mixed presentations, the most memorable perhaps being a film on fire safety! From that day on I was struck by his friendliness and sense of humor, and also his kindness. When I had extended severe vision problems, there were some very bleak days, and I will never forget a card John wrote for me, which picked up my spirits more than he could have realized. That was his way, the seemingly small but profoundly meaningful gesture. And there were many others.
We had many conversations about Aquinas, baseball, Abbot Columba Marmion and especially St. Bonaventure which I will always treasure.
As I sort through the many memories of John Webster and begin to come to terms with his passing, I am reminded of the last time I was in a seminar with him this past spring, and the discussion topic moved to the eucharist and Thomas Aquinas. John quietly said that if we really want to know the fullness of what Aquinas felt, we need, alongside with his theological writings, to also ponder the prayers he wrote, including the beautiful hymns for Corpus Christi. Today as it happens is that feast day, and as I mourn the loss of John, a good man and man of deep prayer, I cannot also help but take deep solace in the eternal, beatific vision which even now, I trust, John has begun to experience, the Divine Presence he wrote so beautifully and helpfully about for all of us.
Festina Lente 