What a profound way of looking at death. It brought tears to my eyes as I am delightfully confronted with this truth! Thank you for sharing this. 🙂
Richard Eichman August 17, 2016
Death is nothing more than a passage way into God’s kingdom. Hopefully, He’ll say, “Welcome good and faithful servant. Come into glory with Me.”
Mario Medina July 29, 2018
Today July 28 2018; actually, this whole week has been news of three deaths of friends who had a loved one die. My mother-in-law is in her fifth/sixth hospice week. After Saturday Vigil Mass, my wife and I went to our favorite restaurant. We normally sit and eat at the restaurant’s bar. The bartender is wonderful; his fiancée works for the Catholic Archdiocese reporting to the Archbishop. We hadn’t been at this restaurant in probably two months. Bartender and we exchange greetings; then, he mentioned he had to go to the cemetery today. That caught our attention. He stated you didn’t know. He informed us his fiancée passed away two months ago. He is very very angry at God; he became teary eyed but composed himself. He could not understand why she who worked for the Archbishop and did everything expected had to die after 8-10 months of battling cancer. What can I say to him?
Susan E. Daigle September 28, 2019
Mario, there isn’t anything you can say. Just listen. Let him know it’s alright to have such feelings and you are ready to listen. I was a Hospice volunteer for a couple of years. Until your friend has come to terms with his grief no words will help him make any sense of his loss. Never say you “know how he feels”. How could this be possible unless you suffered the same loss? These words only create anger and he’s already angry enough. Then go home and pray for him.
James H Dobbins, PhD September 30, 2019
Mario, all you can say is that we will not know why this happened to his fiance. What we do know is that God loves each of us more than anyone living among us possibly could. In John 17, Jesus tells us the Father loves us with the same love with which He loves Jesus. God is not only Love itself, He is also Wisdom. Therefore, He knows far better than any of us what is best for us. As upset as he may be over the loss of his fiance, he must come to trust God, remembering God’s only motive is love for us. He should also understand that his fiance is now in eternity where there is no time. She is already enjoying their reunion in eternity.
Several years ago, a local priest got cancer in his 20’s. Treatment stopped the cancer for a time, but it came back in his 30’s. He went to Lourdes, France to receive healing, but physical healing was not granted him.. He died in his 30’s with a whole life of service ahead of him. He was a good priest. St. Faustina, through whom Jesus gave the world the “Divine Mercy Chaplet” died at 33. Other famous saints died early, even in their 20’s. Two of the children seers at Fatima died before reaching their teens. It seems like God had work for each of them to do, and when it was finished, He called them home. I have found it hard to trust Him in all things, and have struggled with this all my life, as have others. But I keep praying to trust God completely. The alternative is despair, at least for me. “Jesus, I trust in You.”
Anthony Perpetua April 6, 2022
This brought a momentary tear to my eye. It’s so beautiful in its simplicity.
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What a profound way of looking at death. It brought tears to my eyes as I am delightfully confronted with this truth! Thank you for sharing this. 🙂
Death is nothing more than a passage way into God’s kingdom. Hopefully, He’ll say, “Welcome good and faithful servant. Come into glory with Me.”
Today July 28 2018; actually, this whole week has been news of three deaths of friends who had a loved one die. My mother-in-law is in her fifth/sixth hospice week. After Saturday Vigil Mass, my wife and I went to our favorite restaurant. We normally sit and eat at the restaurant’s bar. The bartender is wonderful; his fiancée works for the Catholic Archdiocese reporting to the Archbishop. We hadn’t been at this restaurant in probably two months. Bartender and we exchange greetings; then, he mentioned he had to go to the cemetery today. That caught our attention. He stated you didn’t know. He informed us his fiancée passed away two months ago. He is very very angry at God; he became teary eyed but composed himself. He could not understand why she who worked for the Archbishop and did everything expected had to die after 8-10 months of battling cancer. What can I say to him?
Mario, there isn’t anything you can say. Just listen. Let him know it’s alright to have such feelings and you are ready to listen. I was a Hospice volunteer for a couple of years. Until your friend has come to terms with his grief no words will help him make any sense of his loss. Never say you “know how he feels”. How could this be possible unless you suffered the same loss? These words only create anger and he’s already angry enough. Then go home and pray for him.
Mario, all you can say is that we will not know why this happened to his fiance. What we do know is that God loves each of us more than anyone living among us possibly could. In John 17, Jesus tells us the Father loves us with the same love with which He loves Jesus. God is not only Love itself, He is also Wisdom. Therefore, He knows far better than any of us what is best for us. As upset as he may be over the loss of his fiance, he must come to trust God, remembering God’s only motive is love for us. He should also understand that his fiance is now in eternity where there is no time. She is already enjoying their reunion in eternity.
Several years ago, a local priest got cancer in his 20’s. Treatment stopped the cancer for a time, but it came back in his 30’s. He went to Lourdes, France to receive healing, but physical healing was not granted him.. He died in his 30’s with a whole life of service ahead of him. He was a good priest. St. Faustina, through whom Jesus gave the world the “Divine Mercy Chaplet” died at 33. Other famous saints died early, even in their 20’s. Two of the children seers at Fatima died before reaching their teens. It seems like God had work for each of them to do, and when it was finished, He called them home. I have found it hard to trust Him in all things, and have struggled with this all my life, as have others. But I keep praying to trust God completely. The alternative is despair, at least for me. “Jesus, I trust in You.”
This brought a momentary tear to my eye. It’s so beautiful in its simplicity.
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