Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, But Nobody Wants to Go Now

Years ago, Kenny Chesney sang a song: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to go now.”

When you discuss death and final judgment, most people freak out. The mention of these topics makes us face our fragility. It reminds us that any notion of invincibility we may have is an illusion.

Reflecting on the familiar passage of St. John of the Cross, Madeleine L’Engle wrote: “In the evening of life we shall be judged on love, and not one of us is going to come off very well, and were it not for my absolute faith in the loving forgiveness of my Lord I could not call on him to come” (Madeleine L’Engle).

Love in Action

We live in a world that enslaves us to our past, whereas the Kingdom of God beckons us into a future of promise and hope. The One Who will judge us at the end of time is the One we have served all our lives and upon whose providence we have depended.

The love of God assures us of God’s love for us. Love teaches us to be willing to endure pain and suffering for the sake of the kingdom. Recall these words written to Timothy: “If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2:12).

When the Lord returns in glory, we will be standing in the presence of the One Who loved us so much that He sent His only Son to rescue us from the evil in the world and in us.

“And all of us who have had the veil removed can contemplate the glory of the Lord. And the Lord will transform us into His image with increasing glory. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18).


The Synod Fathers expressed it this way: “[Jesus] showed the true meaning of mercy which implies the restoration of the Covenant. This appears clearly in his encounters with the Samaritan woman and the woman taken in adultery, in whom the awareness of sin is awakened in the presence of the gratuitous love of Jesus. Conversion is an ongoing commitment for the Church which embraces sinners in her midst and holy and at the same time in need of purification applies herself ceaselessly to penance and renewal. This striving for conversion is not a human activity alone. It is the dynamism of a contrite heart drawn and moved by grace in response to the merciful love of God who has loved us first. God offers the free gift of his forgiveness to anyone who is open to the action of his grace” (Final Relatio, #41; translated by Bishop Michael G. Campbell).

When we stand before the Flame of Divine Love, the whole mystery of the Cross will be revealed to us. Illumined by the Light of Love, our eyes will be opened and we shall be able to see clearly, knowing ourselves for the first time as we are known.

We shall have the Light of Life and our faces will radiate the glory of the Lord. If we open ourselves to the power of His boundless and eternal love, then the Father will see in us what He sees and loves in His Son.

Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner and when you come again in glory, remember me and receive me into your kingdom.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

Your New Name: One Like Christ

Throughout the history of Israel, the prophets used shocking, sometimes grotesque, images, depicting the end of time.

They lived in difficult times. The prophets hoped, by their shocking language, to draw the veil back so their hearers could get a glimpse into the future when God would exert power on their behalf.

That's the kind of language we hear in the Gospel with its images of: a darkening sun, the moon not giving off light and the unshakable, predictable stars, falling from their positions in the sky. All that was relied on will crumble.

End of the World

Over the din and the tumult, the Lion of Juda roars. Who can ignore Him? The light of Christ overpowers the enveloping darkness. We are assured that the kingdom, which Jesus inaugurated by His life, death and resurrection, will ultimately be victorious.


The name “Michael” means: Who Is Like God. The prophet Daniel depicts him as entering into the battle with a mighty shout that no one could ignore.

Through the transforming waters of Baptism, we have been grafted into the Body of Christ. Having been baptized into Christ, we have been given a new name: One like Christ.

One Like Christ

Recall these words of the apostle: “It is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me” (Gal. 2:20).

The putting on of Christ is not merely a ritual act, but a new birth, a total transformation. We are to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of Light.

All those who have committed their lives to Christ lay claim to the title “Christian” which I will translate: One Like Christ.

Those who are known as One Like Christ must walk in the light of day and avoid the works of darkness. This means that we must put on the character qualities and virtues that reflect our identity as being One Like Christ.

In Christ, the old-Adam is crucified and the new creation has begun; sin and death no longer have authority over us because we have been brought of newness of life by grace. This newness of life is not for us alone, rather, it is for others.

Like Christ we are called to make ourselves poor so as to enrich others. We live in a state of dependence on Christ and, strengthened by Christ, we offer support to our brothers and sisters in need.

All who claim the name One Like Christ must be willing to stand in the breech and intercede for God’s people in need. Not only that, we must be willing to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom to all who walk in the valley of darkness and live under the shadow of death.

Those who are One Like Christ shall become shining lights, guiding others onto the path that will lead them out of darkness, and that path is Christ. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being.

Because God so loved the world, we have been call by Christ to be One Like Christ. Because we have been loved, we can dare to love. Pope Benedict XVI wrote these words to youth of the world in 2007: “Do not desire anything less for your life than a love that is strong and beautiful and that is capable of making the whole of your existence a joyful undertaking of giving yourselves as a gift to God and your brothers and sisters, in imitation of the One who vanquished hatred and death forever through love.”

We who are One Like Christ are to observe the signs of the times and set our sights on the kingdom that is to come.

By being vigilant, we are to avoid the corruption of secular thinking and put on the mind of Christ.

May we begin, employ, and conclude each day attending to Christ's word, obeying his precepts, and following his example, that whenever he comes we may be found watching.

Those who are One Like Christ must do only that which they see their Father doing. Christians have been saying for many years that "Jesus is coming soon".

We definitely have the sense that things will not continue as they are forever, but that major shakeups are likely to occur someday, in such a way as to affect everybody on the planet.

We have no reason to be anxious about the end of the world or live in fear of a great worldwide catastrophe. Our faith tells us that, because Jesus rose from the dead, the new creation has, in fact, begun.

When Christ ascended to heaven in glory, He entrusted the care of the new creation to us.

Our participation in the new creation echoes the story of Genesis when Adam and Eve were charged with the maintenance of the Garden.

Those who are One Like Christ have a part to play in God’s ultimate plan. They must look beyond the struggles of this world and keep their focus on the world that is to come. Only then will they experience the victory of God and set their sights on the things that truly last.

The Lord is in control of everything, and He has already revealed His ultimate victory over sin and death. When He returns in glory, He will usher in the end of the world as we know it and transform the earth into his dwelling place.

While we wait in joyful expectation for the revelation of the Kingdom, we live by faith, doing the works Christ has given us to do. In response to Jesus' teaching we must do as Jesus himself did: help people know the love of God; put an end to injustice and exploitation; reach out to the rejected and depressed; the lonely and unborn; prisoners and the despised.

When you make your daily examination of conscience, ask yourself this one question: What is my name? I hope your answer is: One Like Christ.

--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO

Letter to a Dying Woman Who Needs to Make Peace with God

The Confraternity of Penitents received this urgent prayer request for a woman who was dying. We reproduce the request here but have changed the name for privacy sake:

Please pray for Janine who is dying because of liver failure, that she would have the grace of true
repentance for her sins and complete trust in Jesus, our savior and friend. May God bless you for your faithful devotion and prayers.
In His service,
Jill

One woman who received this prayer request took the time to write back her thoughts and encouragement to Janine. Her letter is reproduced just as it was written.

Dear Janine,

I heard about your terrible suffering and wanted to communicate this message to you. God created your soul to live with Him eternally in the happiness of Heaven and He Loves you completely and entirely! All people are created in God's image and likeness - we are all made for Heaven!! We all know this Truth when we are conceived in the womb and reminded of it in the sacrament of Baptism, but this world is far from being heaven and makes many of us forget our Divine Creator and Heavenly Home. God understands this tragedy and extends us His Divine Mercy and Grace to Help save our souls - but we must accept it and turn to Him in humility in order to Receive It.

Please ask to speak with a Catholic Priest and do a confession and attend Catholic Holy Mass ASAP - it's best to do this in person but there are daily masses online if you can't go in person. Turning to God during your life - before your death - does more to save your soul and assure your eternal happiness than all the prayers said for you after your death. If you want to go to heaven then you must ask for God's Help, seek His Mercy and Grace and be humble, loving and kind before Him Who created you - and Who created the entire universe. 

Hating others who have hurt or wronged you is like trying to throw them off of a cliff - the problem is that when you throw them off you automatically go over yourself... Life is like a mirror in that way - "you get what you give". So Shift attention to God and His Divine Love which is a Reward in Itself - and thereby you will no longer suffer eternally. If it helps, you can feel sorry for those who are so hurt themselves that they have hurt you in your life. It's very important to shift your focus to the love of God if you want to go to Heaven. 

There's another good side effect to doing this - you may recover if it is God's Will and completely regain your health after turning to God with love and confessing your sins and truly repenting of them and asking for God's Help - and in fact many, many people have! Sin leads to suffering and death - hatred purchases suffering and death whereas Loving God and Loving others brings Life in this life and the next. 

You can read about the miracles brought about by conversions to the Catholic or Christian faith associated with any of the Saints including St. Brother Andre of Montreal. One man was bed ridden for years and was near death and finally did a confession with a Catholic priest and received other Catholic sacraments (the 7 Sacraments are Gifts from God for our health and happiness) and he went on to completely recover and live many years longer in good health! 

You will always be happy for lovingly asking God for His Help at this time and repenting of your sins and offering up your suffering in atonement for your sins and also to save the souls of poor sinners. Your anxiety will disappear once you are reconciled with God! Once you confess your sins, the Priest will give you some penance to do in atonement for your sins which may be to say a few short prayers to God. You will never regret doing this during your life whereas you may regret it eternally if you don't or it will significantly lengthen and intensify your purgatory which will not be fun. You may recover completely if it is God's Will so that you may glorify the Lord and your testimony will help others to save their souls - and that is what I am praying for Janine but either way you will be happy if you do this!

May God bless you Janine and may you embrace the Love and Mercy of God and find eternal salvation and hopefully recover too!!!

 Blessings in Christ,

Suzanne

Preparing for the Master's Return: What Does God Expect of Us?

Jesus told many parables about his going away and then coming back. These parables created a expectation about Jesus' second coming. We are not only to expect this coming, but we need to prepare for it, because Jesus expects certain attitudes of us in preparation for his return.

The first expectation is vigilance. We do not know the day or the hour of God's return. We must be ready, awake, with our lamps alight as Jesus speaks about in the parable of the 10 virgins. We have to be listening and waiting for his coming, anticipating it.

Vigilance however, is not sufficient. We need to welcome the Lord when he comes. We must be attentive to his return so that we can know when he is coming and then joyfully receive him when he does.

Moreover, God expects us to be generous as we wait for his return. Jesus told a parable about the servant who was waiting for his master's return. When the master returned, the servant waited on the master without expecting any gratitude or compensation. The servant said, "I am just a useless servant. I did what I was supposed to do." God expects us to give him what is his. He looks for produce of what he has given us. Generosity is not just toward the Lord but also toward our neighbor. Recall the parable of the servants who beat their fellow servants when the master was away. Because they did not act with love and compassion to their fellow servants, the master did not treat them with compassion upon his return.

In addition, God expects us to be temperate as we wait for his return. We are not to get lazy or slothful about life or assume that the master is not coming because he delays. This is the message in the parable about the 10 virgins, five of whom were too lazy to bring along oil for the lamps when the bridegroom was away.

The Lord expects us to invest what he gives us. Think of the parable of the coins. The master gave his servants coins to invest and expected a return on them. The servant who buried his coin and gave it back to his master without any interest was condemned for being lazy. God has given us all gifts and responsibilities, and he expects us to invest ourselves in faith, in the Church, in other souls, in proclaiming the Gospel, in a life of service, in a life of prayer. God has expectations of us, through the vocation and gifts he has given, and he expects a return.

Think of the words of the Our Father. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." The many parables which Jesus tells about the master going away and then returning are to help us prepare for the Master's coming. We will have to give an account of how we use our time. God expects a harvest. Did we give him 100%? Did we give ourselves to our vocation so totally we were able to bring forth life through it? Did we hold back because we lacked trust in God, or because our faith was small, or because we felt broken or ashamed? Did we get lost in sin, in addictions, in the things of this world? Did the things of the world distract us so that we lost sight of what the Spirit was teaching us? What does God expect of us upon his return? He expects us to have done what he gave us to do, and to have done it with generosity, love, and faith. Are we meeting his expectations? It is best to get ready, for we know neither the day nor the hour when the master is returning.

--Father David Mary Engo, FBM

Edith Stein: A Vocation to Intercede for Everyone

O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
   and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
   and you will not save?
Why do you make me see wrongdoing
   and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
   strife and contention arise.
So the law becomes slack
   and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous—
   therefore judgement comes forth perverted. (Habakkuk 1: 1-4)

Saint Teresa Benedicta a Cruce (Edith Stein)

             

On August 9, we celebrate the memorial of a great woman, Edith Stein, who died in Auschwitz on August 9, 1942. She was born into an observant Jewish family on Yom Kippur, 1891. As a teenager, she gave up the practice of her Jewish faith and became an atheist. In the course of her studies, she met several Christians whose intellectual and spiritual lives intrigued her. She was converted to Catholicism as a result of reading the writings of Theresa of Avila. “When I had finished the book,” she later recalled, “I said to myself: This is the truth.” Eventually, she entered Carmel, taking the name: Teresa Benedicta a Cruce (Theresa Blessed by the Cross) as a symbol of her acceptance of suffering. “I felt,” she wrote, “that those who understood the Cross of Christ should take it upon themselves on everybody's behalf.” She saw it as her vocation “to intercede with God for everyone,” but she prayed especially for the Jews of Germany whose tragic fate was becoming clear. In 1939 she wrote: “I ask the Lord to accept my life and my death so that the Lord will be accepted by his people and that his kingdom may come in glory, for the salvation of Germany and the peace of the world.” 

           Her martyrdom and the horror of the Holocaust can serve as a backdrop for our consideration of a reading from the prophet Habakkuk. No matter how bad things get, God is still the Holy One and Master of the Universe. The prophet calls to mind God’s fidelity to the covenant He made with His people. This sure hope is echoed in the words of Edith Stein: “Things were in God’s plan which I had not planned at all.  I am coming to the living faith and conviction that — from God’s point of view — there is not chance and that the whole of my life, down to every detail has been mapped out in God’s divine providence and makes complete and perfect sense in God’s all-seeing eyes.” 

            The Beloved Son of God has come into the world. The Living Word has become flesh, taking to Himself all our pain and suffering. The scars He bears in His glorified body are the pledge of our salvation and a promise of our adoption as Children of the Kingdom. Edith Stein's entry into the Carmelite Order was not escapism. "Those who join the Carmelite Order are not lost to their near and dear ones, but have been won for them, because it is our vocation to intercede to God for everyone." In particular, she interceded to God for her people: "I keep thinking of Queen Esther who was taken away from her people precisely because God wanted her to plead with the king on behalf of her nation. I am a very poor and powerless little Esther, but the King who has chosen me is infinitely great and merciful. This is great comfort." (31 October 1938) I will close these reflections with a prayer she wrote: "O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage and strength to serve You. Enkindle Your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived where the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will prospect will open before me, and I shall meet it with peace.” 

--Fr. Jerome Machar, OSCO

Bonadventure -- Good Fortune in This Life and The Next

July 15 is the Feast of Saint Bonaventure, great Franciscan Doctor of the Church perhaps best known for his definitive (at the time) biography of Saint Francis of Assisi. His names mean "Good Fortune" or, we might say, "Lucky", supposedly given to him as a nickname when he, as a child in danger of dying, was healed by the prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi. Was he healed by luck or by prayer? We who trust in God know there is no such thing as luck, be it good or bad. All happens with the will or permission of God.

On the feast of Saint Bonaventure in 2014, I attended two Masses. The first, at 7 a.m., was a Mass of reception for Sister Anna Doctor into the postulancy of the Franciscan Sisters Minor. The reading prior to her reception was Thomas of Celano's account of Saint Francis relinquishing everything in this world to follow God and his giving all possessions back to his father before placing himself fully into the arms of God. Sister Anna did that very thing. What joy in such surrender!

Sister Bernadette, Mother Colette Marie, and Sister Anna of the Franciscan Sisters Minor on the day of Sister Anna's entrance into postulancy, July 15, 2014

Then, at 10:30 a.m., I attended a second Mass, this one a funeral Mass for Justin Seyfert, age 23 (close to the age of Sister Anna), who died from a tragic motorcycle accident only five days previously. Justin is the nephew of Sandy Seyfert, Minister (president) of Our Lady, Cause of Our Joy Chapter of the Confraternity of Penitents in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Justin had graduated from Ball State School of Architecture in 2014 and was active in construction trades while working toward his Master's Degree.  At his funeral the family had displayed his notebooks, blue prints, and architectural models. Justin had been an organ donor, and many of his organs were harvested and used to bring new life to others whose organs were failing. This donation of his, made by his free decision long before his accident, was part of the selfless nature of who Justin was. His friends remarked that he never left your side. His aunt said he was always smiling. A friend recalled that, when she had no date for the prom, Justin invited her to go along with him and his date--hence, he escorted two women to that special dance.

Justin's funeral was in his parish, Saint Vincent De Paul, in Fort Wayne. The huge crucifix behind the altar is made of twined vines and Christ suspended on it looks as if He is in agony but then also, with His arms uplifted, in praise. It is as if the agony of suffering is a praise of God's mercy and love, with the interwoven vines reminding us that He is the vine and we the branches--we are to offer our suffering up for others out of love.

Justin Seyfert

Father Andrew Budzinski who offered the Mass said that people who are grieving do not remember funeral homilies but they do remember who was there for them. Jesus is always there for us--He does not leave our side. He gave Himself totally to us to renew our lives. We have new life because of Jesus' death. Moreover, He is preparing a house, a dwelling place for us in heaven, and Justin, by his selfless giving, will participate in these preparations with Him Who was also a carpenter.

Justin gave of himself to others. Sister Anna will give more fully of herself to others through her life as as a religious. Justin's work will continue from eternity (do pray for his soul and may he pray for us as well) and Sister Anna will work here in this life until God calls her, too, home to Himself. In order to enter a new way of living, we must be reborn and leave the old behind. Justin left behind this world to be reborn into eternal life. Sister Anna chose to leave behind her former way of life and enter a new existence as a religious. Both were not "lucky"-- they experienced the Good Fortune of following God wherever He took them. May we do the same by giving ourselves to the world as Jesus did. If we put ourselves at His disposal, He will do it.

--Madeline Pecora Nugent,CFP

The Read to Holiness Is Always Under Construction: Thoughts on Ash Wednesday

But when you fast,

anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” (Matthew 6: 17-18)

  

I’ve always wondered why the Church uses this reading on Ash Wednesday. Here is the reading, telling us to wash our faces and anoint our heads, and we hear this right before we receive ashes on our foreheads and then go out into the world to be a witness to other people. Here we are, making a big public statement that we are holy Christians who have gone to Mass and receive our ashes on Ash Wednesday. This seems to be in contradiction to the Gospel reading from Matthew.

But there is no contradiction. The ashes are not to be a boast as if to say, “Look, everyone, I got my ashes!” or to say, “Look how holy I am. I’ve been to Mass.” The ashes are to make us look at the intent of the heart.

The Lord asks us for acts of penance as a way of responding to the call to conversion. The ashes are for us to acknowledge the fact that we are made of dust and unto dust we shall return. When signing us with the ashes, the priest may say, “Remember, man, that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” By my sins, I should certainly be turning back to dust, but the Lord has come to me and will deliver me.

In Scripture, sinners put ashes and dirt on their heads to show that they were repentant of their sins. This was a popular way of proclaiming conversion. “Turn from your sins and believe in the Gospel” is another phrase that a priest may say when placing the ashes on someone’s forehead. Receiving the ashes is a proclamation that we will begin again, that we will start anew, that we will press forward in our conversion. I wear the ashes because, although I deserve death, I am delivered from death by the Lord.

The Church tells us to repent and turn back to God and to believe in the Gospel. Don’t we already believe in the Gospel? If we didn’t believe, would we be at Mass receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday? Our belief in the Gospel does not lead us to a full embracing of the Gospel. If we fully embraced the Gospel, we would be in heaven! Venerable Solanus Casey was often praised for his goodness and even called holy to his face. To these remarks he would say, “Pray for my conversion.” Yes, we believe in the Gospel, but we need a deeper belief. A holy priest is fond of saying, “The road to holiness is always under construction.” So much construction needs to be done. We get in God’s way and He has to clear the path to call us to a deeper conversion.

We have to allow the life of the Gospel to really flow in our lives. Our lives are sometimes like a flooded river that is choked with uprooted trees, branches, and debris. The river drags all of this junk downstream and then it hits a snag on the banks and everything backs up. The debris chokes the flow of the river and blocks it from moving forward. This natural dam needs to be removed in order to release the flow of the river and allow the water to move freely. We must be freed of the junk in our lives so that the grace of God can flow more freely.

God always challenges us to go deeper, to seek deeper. We need a good examination of conscience every day. We need to look deeper into our hearts and explore the seven deadly sins in our lives. Which one needs to be addressed first and conquered? Which sin is blocking the flow of God’s grace in my life? How does it express itself in my life? How can I remove this sin? What is God asking me to do in response to my sin? What corporal or spiritual work of mercy will help me to overcome this major sin in my life?

For example, is sloth blocking my generosity, masquerading as selfishness? Am I unwilling to go out of my way to help someone else? If sloth is blocking the growth of the fruit of generosity, I can overcome that sin by doing spiritual and corporal works of mercy for someone.

What fruits of the Holy Spirit am I lacking in my life? What is blocking the development of those?

Lent is not just about giving up this or that, but by doing it with an eye toward maturing in the grace of God and embracing the Gospel more fully. May God give us the grace to enter Lent t with a desire for true holiness so that by Easter the sin that has blocked God’s mercy and grace in our lives has been removed and we are finally freed to experience God’s blessing.

--Transcribed as best as possible from the Ash Wednesday homily of Father David Engo, Franciscan Brothers Minor

Take the Bus and Leave the Driving to Us: A Reflection on Death and Dying

On the eve of Saint Valentine’s Day, 2014, we at the Confraternity of Penitents headquarters received a phone call from one of our life pledged and privately vowed members Ameil “Doc” Klein (br. Philip Julius is his privately vowed name) in Germany. It was very early morning on Valentine’s Day in Germany when Doc called. He was going to send us an email, but was not able to use the computer for several weeks.

Doc coming back to the pew after taking his pledge and private vow to live the Confraternity of Penitents' Rule for Life, October 13, 2013

He called to say hello, and I foolishly asked him how he was. He answered, “Next question.” I knew what he meant because Doc is dying from liver cancer. The next thing he said was that he is in the final stages of this illness. Doc has not eaten for three weeks, and tomorrow his doctors are sending him to the hospital to have a feeding tube put into his stomach.

Doc learned several years ago that he had cancer, and he has been battling it since. Several months ago, it was apparent that he was losing the battle, and so he determined that he was not afraid to die, completed his Confraternity of Penitents lessons, pledged and privately vowed to live the CFP rule for life, and went on living his life as best he could at home without any further operations or extensive treatments. His call tonight was to say that he remembered, when he was living in the United States, hearing the slogan of a well-known bus line that went something like this: “take the bus and leave the driving to us.”

“Years ago I realized,” Doc said, “that I wasn’t able to handle life on my own so I remembered that saying-- take the bus and leave the driving to us-- and I thought, ‘I’m not that good of a driver. This is more than I can handle. Please take the wheel.’ And God did.”

"God, please take the wheel."

Doc has been getting visits from his friends, family, and neighbors. He has been receiving phone calls from Italy and Spain. Doc teaches and greatly enjoys country line dancing. One visitor told him that he has no idea what he meant to a woman who used to dance with the group and who died when she was 38 years old from cancer. He has many people telling him what he has meant to them, how his example has touched them, and he is so humble by this unbelievable outpouring of love.

“I wish everyone could experience what I’m experiencing,” Doc says. ”People I hardly know have come up to me and said thank you. And I don’t know what I did for them.” Apparently we all make impressions upon others that we are unaware of, and people are taking this opportunity to tell Doc. what he meant to them. Doc said that he wishes that people would come to have his faith, his trust in Jesus, but he has learned not to expect this. A friend told him that faith might come to others later, after his death. Right now he continues to be an example just by being who he is.

Doc’s doctors visit him twice daily. He has a neighbor that walks his dogs. One neighbor comes and visits four times a day. Other neighbors will stop and say, “Can I get you anything at the store?” One neighbor picks up his mail. These are tremendous helps to him and to his wife Helene. The head of his local Salesian monastery visited him a few times. The Bishop was at the monastery recently, and the head of the monastery told the Bishop about Doc who, when he was well, went to the monastery daily to participate in the Divine Office and to attend Mass. The Bishop said that he wished he could visit Doc but he had to catch a plane so instead he sent Doc a card with best wishes. The members of the Salesian monastery come and visit Doc and tell jokes. They have an “absolutely wonderful time” together.

Doc tells a true story about a priest whom he knows. The priest has been in religious life for 50 years. He was a farmer boy, and when he goes home to visit his family he always slaughters a pig and brings it back to his community for meat. However, years ago, when he was crossing the border from East to West Germany, he was stopped by the border guards who asked him what he had in the barrel in the back of his truck. The priest answered ,”Old church documents.” This was not a lie because he had covered the pig with old church documents to hide the carcass because it is illegal to slaughter an animal without government permission. The border patrol went back to check and told the priest, “Your documents are bleeding.” The priest said, “Of course they are. They are documents about martyrs.” The border patrol shook his head and left the priest go on. Doc had a good laugh in the retelling of this story.

Doc said that he sleeps a lot, and when he goes to sleep he sleeps peacefully. He has no appetite; he cannot stomach this taste of food. He has difficulty breathing, and his lips get so dry that they sometimes stick to his teeth and then he can’t talk clearly. He said sincerely, “I wish that everyone could experience what I’m experiencing. There is nothing to be afraid of.” He had a friend who had not been to see him, and finally, a few days ago, the friend came by. He apologized to Doc for not coming to see him and said that he didn’t do it because he was afraid of death. He was afraid to sit with someone who is dying. Doc said to him, “But there is nothing to be afraid of. This is a wonderful experience. I wish everyone could experience what I’m experiencing.” Then Doc laughed. “And I guess they will!”

Doc expressed his gratitude to Andrea, Roger, Catherine, and Castillo, the four people whom he had in formation in the Confraternity of Penitents. He said that they will never know what love they shared with him and how much he enjoyed working with them. “They blessed me greatly by knowing them and corresponding with them.” He apologized for not being able to answer his emails and keep up with their correspondence now, but assured them that they are in his prayers and his love. He wanted to thank all of the Confraternity members and everyone else who has been praying for him. The fruits of your prayers are with him.

Doc repeated the bus analogy. “God, you know how to drive a lot better than I do so I’m going to sit back on the bus and let you do the driving.’ And I’ve done that ever since and it’s been a great ride.”

Doc is living what Father David Engo preached in a recent homily about death. Here are Father David’s thoughts:

Death is a mysterious thing. We don’t know how to deal with death. As a young man, I did not want to deal with death. I wanted to avoid it. Then one of my fellow novices in religious life fell victim to cancer, and I found myself around death more and more. My classmate was able to renew his solemn vows and then passed away that evening, but I was not able to go to the funeral. So the Guardian of the friary made me go to the grave and to reflect there on why I could not go to the funeral. Why was I afraid to deal with death?

And I came to realize that death began as an end to man but it is not an end any longer. Man had been lost, but God saved him by dying for his sin. Death ends the suffering of the world, it is a cure for suffering. It also prevents the person from sinning any longer. The goal of the Christian should be to enter death at God’s time and in God’s way and to realize that God makes death a holy experience when it is united with God himself. Death is something that is sacred and even longed for when it is in harmony with God’s will, with the death that God has chosen. Our prayer should be, “Lord, I choose the death that you have chosen for me.”

The Mass for the dead says that life is changed, not ended. Certainly we grieve when we lose a loved one because death shatters the order of love which we had experienced with others. We suffer the pain of separation. We should not feel guilty if we grieve. St. Padre Pio cried for three days when his mother died. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. We can’t sugarcoat death. We feel the separation and pain, but in the midst of this there is hope.

We might ask ourselves: How do I view death? How do I experience it? We all must face death for ourselves and for others. We need to come to a reconciliation with death, understand that it is a gift, and look beyond it to the divine God who restores all things to life. We can understand that death is the remedy for sin and suffering, but it has been redeemed by Christ St. Francis, upon his deathbed said, “Welcome, Sister Death.”

It is amazing to be at the bedside of those who passed faithfully from life into the arms of God. Their faithful life affects the way they die. At the time of death, doctors need to step aside because only the priest can minister now. The priest can help open the door so that the deceased person may pass through to eternal life.

Let us pray for those who are dying and let us pray to choose the death that God has chosen for us. When out turn comes, may we die in peace with faith in Christ and his promise of eternal life.

O Antiphon for December 20--O Key of David

O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and lead your captive people into freedom. (Evening Prayer Antiphon for December 20)

O come, thou key of David, come,

And open wide our heav'nly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

That we no more have cause to sigh.

I was dead, and see, I am alive for ever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades. (Revelations 1: 18)

‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of the holy one, the true one,
   who has the key of David,
   who opens and no one will shut,
     who shuts and no one opens: (Revelations 3:7)

And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit; (Revelations 9:1)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. (Revelations 20:1)

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ (Matthew 16:19)

Keys are important implements. They lock things and people in, and they lock things and people out. They permit entry where there would be none, to those who have access to the key, and they foil those who have no key. 

David was a mighty king of Israel from whose line the Messiah would come. The O Antiphon for December 20 speaks of the Key of David as Christ, a descendant of David, Who opened for us our heavenly home through His sacrificial death on the cross. 

Scripture, however, does not call Jesus the Key; rather it tells us that Jesus holds the Keys both to eternal reward in heaven and to eternal punishment in the bottomless pit of hell. So in this sense, the One Who holds the Keys is, in fact, the Key. The angel who opened the bottomless pit from which emerged satan to demolish the faith and to destroy the faithful was given that key by Christ, the Keeper of the Keys. 

Jesus, while on earth, gave the Keys to heaven to Peter as the leader of the Apostles to bind and loose while affirming that Peter, and his successors, would act in the name of Christ. The current Pope is the successor to Peter, with the power given by God to bind and to loose. 

Might death be somewhat like entering an unfamiliar room where there was but one entrance but two exits? Jesus is seated at a table in the center of this room. With understanding eyes, He gazes at each one who enters. Those who gaze back at Him with love and trust receive His smile as He leads them to one of the two doors which He unlocks. "Here you will be made perfect so that You may enjoy My joy forever," Jesus tells them. These individuals enter the "pantry room of heaven" where they remain until completely perfected before entering heaven itself. Those, in the room of death, who look at Jesus with hatred, indifference, or mockery He leads to the other door which He opens into blackness. "Here you will never have to look at Me again," He says, and those who hate or mock our Lord willingly enter. 

Jesus, controlling at Your Will the gate of heaven, and holding also the key to the great abyss of hell, no person escapes Your notice. One or the other portal will open for each individual. You Who came as a helpless Infant are our Eternal Judge. Yet You not Mercy Himself for those who trust in You. Come, Lord Jesus. Free us from the eternal death brought about by evil and give us the grace to embrace eternal life with  You. Amen.