In Spite of set-backs, Life must go on

In Spite of set-backs Life must go on

Watching the funeral of Pope Francis we should be reminded that even the Vicar of Christ must die at some point.  His death didn’t create new problems for the Church or even present worldly disasters.  In fact, as with any family which must grapple with changes when the parent passes away may place new directions on the remaining members to find new or improved methods to keep going.  So it will be with the new pope and all of his staff to protect the truth for the Church that has the Holy Spirit protecting the premise from Almighty God, that he will be with his disciples until the end.  (Mt 28: 20).

Hold your heads high and rely on the grace God has given to us as a means to raise our hope of better attempts at keeping the faith of the promise of Christ’s Passion that relieved our threat of eternal death and to live in heaven forever with him.  

Even at any funeral Mass or service for the dead the atmosphere should be one of hope for the deceased to be in the arms of Christ and not a vestige of tragedy we cannot recover from.  Of course emotions are a natural part of expressing our feelings, happiness, compassion for others, and many other manners of finding our humanity for ourselves or others.  But we need to know that as hard as it may appear when we lose a loved one our lasting sign of using the passing of one we love must be an impetus to grow from their example of the tenacity they had to endure before they died.  

This becomes a pattern of growing in the daily experiences that are usually unexpected and catches us off-guard leaving a question of, “What must we do now to keep going?”   It isn’t as though death is a new emphasis that life hands us.  It has happened from the time of the first human beings and will continue until the final sign of human life on planet earth.  

Into each family, all politicians, and the Church that Christ began through Peter and the Apostolic Succession of the Catholic Church,  we shall continue with the grace of God, the Passion of Christ, the Son of God, and the Unity of the Holy Spirit who promised to be with us until the moment we are called from this earth.   It is here that whatever sets us back it is not the end.  We are all part of the unity of God’s creation and he is within us as we continue our quest of life. 

The dead should be given attention and care to help them live their last moments in dignity and peace.  They will be helped by the prayer of their relatives, who must see to it that the sick receive at the proper time the sacraments that prepare them to meet the living God.  (CCC 2299).

Preparing the dying for their final moments of human life, if they are still able to understand, is a necessary sign of love.  Being with them at that moment isn’t always possible, but becomes the greatest effort we can administer to the one we love.  

Ralph B. Hathaway