Death is all around us. In neither takes imagination or great vision to notice. And it's fundamentally wrong, though it is commonplace. At this point, it'd be easy to say, "How horrible! Come, Lord Jesus!" and move on. But we can't. We've got to think through some things.
You know, we weren't supposed to die at all. Death came through sin. On the other hand, that gift of immortality was just that, a gift, and one above our nature, at that. (Contra Crazy Uncle Marty and others) God somehow saw fit to pair an immortal soul with a mortal body, and to keep them together in redemption. Thus ends the theology lesson for the day. Except to say that the mortal will become elevated, and not the other way around.
Wasn't it always one of those baffling Bible mysteries that Jesus waited for Lazarus to die, knew he was going to raise him, and cried anyway? If the God-man who is the perfect man wept, maybe the hope of Heaven isn't meant to be the only answer or word on the pain of death.
It says to me that "She's in a better place," even if true, isn't supposed to make it all OK. We know this by intuition, but often forget. But the other thing we forget is that spiritual death is far worse. What we hope in any one case is that the lesser death is not the sign of the greater.
Christ in the Eucharist is the food of eternal life. May our hearts break to be found unworthy to receive Him! But even if that is so, a man who acts in Christ's own person is not far away. And even if not, may that desire to be with Him pardon us while we wait for Christ's healing touch in the Sacrament of Penance.
Some say that such a sacrament offends the love in Christ's own finished work. Poppycock. Doesn't it rather say that the Savior will go as far as he needs to bring the cripples to His Table? The priests extend the humanity of Christ to the ends of the earth. Others can say 'Peace, peace' when there is no peace. His true priests can touch me and speak to me in the name of the Prince of Peace.
You know, we weren't supposed to die at all. Death came through sin. On the other hand, that gift of immortality was just that, a gift, and one above our nature, at that. (Contra Crazy Uncle Marty and others) God somehow saw fit to pair an immortal soul with a mortal body, and to keep them together in redemption. Thus ends the theology lesson for the day. Except to say that the mortal will become elevated, and not the other way around.
Wasn't it always one of those baffling Bible mysteries that Jesus waited for Lazarus to die, knew he was going to raise him, and cried anyway? If the God-man who is the perfect man wept, maybe the hope of Heaven isn't meant to be the only answer or word on the pain of death.
It says to me that "She's in a better place," even if true, isn't supposed to make it all OK. We know this by intuition, but often forget. But the other thing we forget is that spiritual death is far worse. What we hope in any one case is that the lesser death is not the sign of the greater.
Christ in the Eucharist is the food of eternal life. May our hearts break to be found unworthy to receive Him! But even if that is so, a man who acts in Christ's own person is not far away. And even if not, may that desire to be with Him pardon us while we wait for Christ's healing touch in the Sacrament of Penance.
Some say that such a sacrament offends the love in Christ's own finished work. Poppycock. Doesn't it rather say that the Savior will go as far as he needs to bring the cripples to His Table? The priests extend the humanity of Christ to the ends of the earth. Others can say 'Peace, peace' when there is no peace. His true priests can touch me and speak to me in the name of the Prince of Peace.
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