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Showing posts with the label death

A Priest Saved My Life Tonight

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The Priest says,  "...This is my body." And it is.   "...This is my blood."  And it is. It is His body and His blood,  He  is truly present. How can I describe what this feels like to be present when the Priest sets down the Eucharist on the altar after this moment. . If one could be in the center of a...... TO READ MORE - CLICK HERE!

Death? Been There, Done That

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(From Piero della Francesca, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) ('Dead? I was, but now I'm better.' No, our Lord didn't say that: not in so many words.( John 20:26 - 27 )) I haven't died, not yet: and I'm still working on the 'dying to myself' that doesn't mean pretending that I'm garbage — and that's another topic. Topics. ( November 27, 2011 ; March 3, 2009 ) Our Lord: That's another matter. About two millennia back, Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried: but I'm getting ahead of the story.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Life, Death, and Hope

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I'm going to die. That's what happens to humans.... ..."Memento mori" — Latin for 'remember your death,' more or less — makes sense: if done with common sense. Recognition of impending doom can have a wonderfully focusing effect. ( May 20, 2011 ) I don't have a skull mounted on my desk, reminding me that my days are numbered. For one thing, I don't think that'd be consistent with respect for the dead. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2299 - 2300 )... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Elijah and the 12-Star General

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Tomorrow's post is about death, judgment, Heaven, Hell, and all that. Coming back from a desperately-needed coffee break, I realized that the following paragraphs made sense, in context — probably. But since I didn't have the rest of the post written yet, I figured it'd be easier to slap them into an 'unscheduled' post, and cudgel my brain back on-track. Death and Special Cases Elijah's departure, described in 2 Kings 2:8 - 11 was a special case. Then there's Mary, mother of my Lord. She's a very special case: shielded from original sin, the ethical rot we inherit from our first parents; and currently what I've called a 12-star general .... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I'm Here."

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"Mom, why do you go to Mass everyday?" "Because I love Him."   "Who?" "Our Lord." "Oh." "You don't understand do you." "Not really."   TO READ MORE CLICK HERE!  

Robin Williams, Suicide, and Hope

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Robin Williams was a few months older than I am when he died. That photo is from 1979, when he was becoming famous for his role in " Mork & Mindy ." I admire Williams' work, regret his addiction to cocaine and alcohol, and am sorry that he is dead. He was a remarkably talented actor and comedian. Sadly, he apparently decided to hang himself. We can't be sure, but it's likely that suffering from depression had something to do with his death. Celebrity deaths get heavy media coverage: so when yet another movie star dies from suicide, drug overdose, or some other avoidable cause, it can seem that fame leads to self-destruction. Although famous folks from Hannibal to Margaux Hemmingway killed themselves, I think it's prudent to remember that many high-profile folks didn't: like Lauren Bacall and Bob Hope . I'll be writing mostly about life, depression, death, and why I haven't killed myself. You'll find links to articles about Rob

Mayaysia Airlines Flight MH17: Death and Life

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Nearly three hundred people died in Ukrainian airspace last Thursday. They were in an airliner on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Nearly two thirds of the passengers of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 were Dutch. They included folks on their way to a conference and families traveling. Some were "important," others not, by societal standards. News services have been focusing on those among the dead who were most likely to be of interest to their viewers and readers. That's understandable. Five days after this tragedy, we still don't know exactly why a Boeing 777-2H6ER fell out of the sky. Since it was in airspace over a war zone, it's very likely that the airliner was shot down.... ...I'll explain why I'm not ranting about these deaths being the fault of folks I don't like toward the end of this post. First, and no pressure: I suggest that praying for those who died on flight MH17, and everyone connected with the incident, couldn't hu

"You know I Conquered Sin and Death."

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During prayer one day, the Lord spoke to me. "You know I conquered sin and death."    I don't why I knew it, but I knew this was instruction about my prayer, about how to pray.  "Yes Lord".  Thinking:  What is He trying to tell me?. ..CLICK HERE...

'Just Routine, Nothing Special' — Thank You, Father Statz

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Quite a lot has happened, since Father James Statz came to the Our Lady of the Angels parish here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. Most of it's routine, like the annual cycle of the liturgical year, some hasn't. Today is the last time Father Statz celebrates Mass as our parish priest. I'm sorry to see him go, but very glad that he has been here. Remembering, Mostly 2003 Some of it hasn't been routine, like when the Christmas tree — over a dozen feet tall — fell over behind him. That was in 2003. I took that photo before the excitement. The choir director had told us that the last song would be "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" when the Christmas tree fell over. Over a dozen children on the near side of the altar, and probably a few other folks, said "eee!" The tree fell neatly on the altar's far side. Then we sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." Nobody was hurt, much, although Father Statz got clipped as the tree went past him, and th

'Because I live, you also will live.' Sunday Reflections, 6th Sunday of Easter Year A

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The Last Supper , Tintoretto, 1579-81 Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice  Web Gallery of Art Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  John 14:15-21   ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada)   Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep   my commandments.   And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,   to be with you forever.     This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because  he abides with you, and he will be in   you.   “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.   In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.     On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you

The Most Terrifying Answer to a Prayer.

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There is great evil in the world.  One need only turn on the news and see that.  As such I have cause to pray much about what I see on the news.  When I see death, I kiss the crucifix and ask for mercy for a soul before the judgement and when I hear of great evil acted from one soul to another, I ask for conversion of that most blackest of heart that did the evil. I don't usually get a direct answer to these prayers.  I don't even know the results of my prayers, and nor do I want to.  One day, God will show me all, I am happy to wait till then. However, during one prayer I realized that I was taking the very act of being able to ask God for mercy for someone for granted.   For even the ability to pray is a gift from God.  read more HERE

'He saw and believed.' Sunday Reflections, Easter Sunday

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The Resurrection Passignano, 1600-25, Pinacoteca, Vatican [ Web Gallery of Art ] The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  At the Mass During the Day Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 20:1-9  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.   So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

"I Have Never Felt So Accompanied" A Cancer Patient's Testimony

From a friend who is facing death... http://ramblingfollower.blogspot.com/2014/03/from-stage-four-cancer-patient-never.html

When we Die

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Our hearts stop beating.  Our lungs no longer fill with air.  Our bodies cease to function.  Our immortal souls are released from our bodies.  We enter into eternal life, and our souls leave our physical bodies.  We only take with us, that which we are.   Reports from those who have returned include tunnels through which the soul flies at speeds unknown on earth.  Lights are brighter than any here.  Colors are vibrant and living.  Colors that have never been seen are visible to the soul who has left the body. Read more at "His Unending Love."

Victory over Death, and Other Small Successes

The biggest small success of the week happened when my husband lost consciousness on the commuter train home. He most likely suffered a seizure, which is a known complication from the many surgeries he's undergone to remove  recurring brain tumors . The doctors will probably not allow him to drive a car for six months to a year. But he's alive, and that's a victory. The seizure didn't happen while he was driving our six kids to the park. It didn't happen while he was crossing a crowded city street or when he was waiting on a subway platform, the scene of more than one tragic accident where someone falls to their death on the tracks. He was just a strap-hanger who let go of the strap and fell in the midst of caring strangers. Someone called 911, and the police took my husband to the nearest emergency room. After a battery of tests, he'll be discharged. His doctors will come up with a plan of treatment, and we'll go on with life as close to normal as we can.

'But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush . . .' Sunday Reflections, 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

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Moses before the Burning Bush , Domenico Fetti, 1613-14 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 20:27-38 [Shorter form, Luke 20: 27, 34-38]  ( Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition )  There came to Jesus some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection,  [and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; and the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her

'You also must be ready.' Sunday Reflections, 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C

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St Francis and Brother Leo meditating on death , El Greco, 1600-02 [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Luke 12:32-48 [shorter: 35-40]  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) [For shorter version omit italics] Jesus said to his disciples: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. "Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may op

Trusting God with your future

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Last December, I began a quest to trust God more. It started with my reading The Way of Trust and Love by Jacques Philippe. You can read my original post on St. Therese’s trust here. (I know I link to this post a lot, but that’s because I consider it among my best. Trust is the Lesson from the Carmelite Saints that is changing my life.  If you haven’t read it, I strongly encourage you to do so.) Later, I told you how I was focusing on trusting God in the ups and downs of my day during Lent . More recently, I have worked on entrusting my future to God. This next step began with my reading Diary of a Country Mother by Cindy Montanaro. It’s the journal of a mother reflecting on the life of her young son who has recently died. As I hinted in my review, I have struggled with entrusting my children’s futures to God. I hear of so many parents who have lost a child. Two of my siblings died in childhood. My former roommate’s daughter died at age four.  Some of my readers have

Death of Connor Eberhard, 1994 - 2013

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Connor James Eberhard  (1 December 1994 - 23 April 2013) Yesterday I asked you to pray for Connor Eberhard, whose life was drawing to a close. Now I ask you to pray for the soul of Connor who died peacefully at 10:30pm, Tuesday 23 April, at his home in Smithville, Ontario, Canada. Shortly before his 18th birthday he learned that he had cancer. The doctors gave him six months to live.  Connor lived the last few months of his life to the full, with courage, cheerfulness and faith. His maternal grandmother Maeve Devlin, with whom I spoke on the phone this morning, Wednesday, Philippine time, and she told me that Connor had received the last rites from his parish priest last week. Maeve and her husband Doug, who with their four children, Peter, Jacqueline, Cathy (Connor's mother) and Glenn have been close friends of mine since 1968, live next door to the Eberhards. Maeve, an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, brought Connor Holy Communion each day until he slipp

A Life Lived Small and With Immeasurable Beauty

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When I checked my email this morning before work and opened the attachment from a colleague, I burst into tears. My colleague Mary, with whom I co-teach a Natural Science class, had put as the subject to the email "Aunt Eileen." "Aunt Eileen" was Eileen Jaqui Kuhn, 88, of Metuchen, who died on Holy Thursday at home with her family by her side. My husband and I have lived in this corner of New Jersey since 1995 and our lives have intersected with the Kuhn family's ever since. Tonight, Easter Monday, my husband and I attended Mrs. Kuhn's wake, which gave me a glimpse into the beauty of a life spent from start to finish within a three-mile pocket of friends, family, work and parish. Keep Reading....