A Sad Farewell to a Holy Friend, Fr. Tom Collins

Dear Friends, 

I call you friends because you've touched my life. Some of you with kind comments and promises of prayers I hardly deserve, others with nasty comments that invite me to humility and patience. And then there are the invisible readers some of whom I think also probably pray for me. How much I appreciate you all.

Those who are long-time readers of the blog have seen many articles from my dear friend, Fr. Tom Collins. He contributed numerous guest articles filled with wisdom and Catholic truth. What a gift!

 Father had a stroke recently and died of complications on Monday. How much he will be missed. 

Sunday Meditation: How Can We Be Happy in Heaven if Our Loved Ones Aren't There?

Funerals turn the minds of the faithful to the four last things: death, judgment, heaven or hell. That's not too surprising when you think about it. Even those who have little or no relationship with God must think about "What's next!" when they attend a funeral. "Is this really all there is?... Where is my loved one, friend, acquaintance, colleague now?...What will happen to me after I die?" 

Death has a way of focusing the mind.

My husband and I have experienced two deaths in the past eight months, an older sibling in each family. Reflecting on death and the power of prayer makes me so grateful for the Catholic Church family. Whenever I ask for prayers, dozens of you respond immediately offering Masses and rosaries and who knows what other acts of charity for the requested needs? I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

What Do You Think? Is the Divine Mercy Devotion Legit?

I've always felt a little queasy about the Divine Mercy Devotion. Personally, I don't pray it. Instead I pray the Sacred Heart novena which Padre Pio prayed every day. There are thousands of devotions in the Church. No one Catholic could pray them all. God gave us this abundance because we are like a huge flower garden. What nourishes one flower could kill another. The rosary is certainly a devotion for all that is like putting the best fertilizer on every flower in the garden. Most devotions aren't like that. 

Of loose ends and readjustment

I've felt a little off balance since my sister's death. I feel like I need a readjustment. Jeanne was a big part of my life for the past six years since she went into the assisted living and then the nursing home. Cleaning out her apartment was like one of the labors of Hercules or a scene from Great Expectations. I had to wear a mask to deal with the dust. It's hard as you get older to keep up with everything. I get it. I was on spider patrol in the basement yesterday. And the battle with the dust bunnies is ongoing.

And Now We are Six....

I came from a family of eleven children, one of whom died right before birth. The rest of us grew to adulthood: six girls and four boys. Daddy was in the Navy so we moved every three or four years, changing houses and schools, making new friends. After we grew up and began our own families, we shared many holidays together: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July. I can still smell the eye roast Daddy made on the rotisserie grill, a staple of many holiday meals.

You know not the day or the hour... Be Prepared

Rest in Peace, Jeanne

Today's post is an invitation to think about the four last things: death, judgment, heaven or hell. Where are you headed?

My sister died yesterday morning. She was declining for a long time, but there was no indication that death was imminent. When the phone rang at 6:30 a.m. I thought it might be one of the multiple fishing calls I get with an agent wanting to talk about my back pain, diabetes, knee problems, ulcers, take your pick. 

"Wow! Somebody decided to call really early," I thought." Odd to go there because when the phone rings at unexpected times, I usually immediately think of my sister. That shows how unexpected her death was.

Remembering my dad on his entry into eternal life.

Today is the anniversary of my Dad's death. He died in 1985 at the age of 67 -- too young, too soon to say goodbye. I still miss him. I still ask him to forgive me for not being a better daughter. I was with him when he died. In fact, at least four of his ten children were in the house at the time and several grandchildren. My sister Peggy and I were with Daddy when he died. He was sitting in a chair leaning against the bed and we were stroking his back and talking quietly when we realized he wasn't breathing. The blood had already begun to pool at the pressure point on his forehead.

Get Real about the Christian Life! It's not Candyland!

Joy, fear and suffering represent the trilogy of the Christian life. We would all love it, wouldn't we, if every moment of our lives found us bubbling over with joy? Maybe some people have that expectation about the Christian life. Surely the prosperity gospel reeks of it; but it's a fairytale! There is no happily ever after this side of the veil at least as the world defines it. Everlasting joy will come only for those who love the Lord and persevere until the end. But to expect Easter joy without the passion and cross here on earth in our daily life is a pipe dream. Unless, of course, we embrace God's will in all its fullness and come to recognize joy in fear and suffering. Some of the saints surely did that; but how many of us even come close?

The Era of Making a Mess is Over (At Least We Hope So!).

Pope Francis is dead. He died this morning. I've been doing my Monday chores praying for him. I threw in the wash remembering that he was once a newly baptized innocent babe clothed in the pure white garment. Did he wear the papal white in innocence and love for our Savior? Actions speak louder than words and so many of his actions were scandalous and ugly. Only God knows his eternal destiny.

Dymphna Pegged It: Uncle Ted is Dead. The Horror Continues....

Dymphna has a short post on the death of Theodore McCarrick. It's enough!    

UNCLE TED IS DEAD

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, of infamous memory, is dead at 94. The horror is not over. His buddies who protected him and lied for him are still running the church in America. [Read the rest here....]

Death comes to us all. I wonder where the high potentate of the American church is now. God knows; I leave the wicked cardinal to him. Did Satan lose his grip in the end? Did McCarrick repent? I have to grit my teeth to say, "Let us hope so." Our God of justice and mercy will decide. 

Monday Morning Musing: Into the Great Loneliness

Jesus the Comforter by August Andreas Jerndorff (25 January 1846 – 28 July 1906)

More and more these days, I think about the great loneliness. That's my description of the time after the death of a spouse. I'll be 78 next month and Larry will turn 80 in May. None of our parents lived to be 90. My dad died at 67, my mom at 83. Larry's dad died just short of his 86th birthday, his mom at 79. My mom outlived my dad; Larry's dad outlived his mom. Of course, no one knows except God the length of our days, but for sure the great loneliness is coming for one of us. I confess it frightens me to think of being the surviving spouse in the desert of grief.

Sunday Meditation: "Soon we shall die and all memory [of us] will have left the earth."

"Soon we shall die and all memory of those five [who fell from the bridge] will have left the earth; and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten." 

That quote from the last chapter of The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder struck me this afternoon as I sat on the front porch reading and listening to the rain. How silly it is to take ourselves too seriously. Most of us will soon be forgotten after we die, even by members of our own family. I only know the name of one of my great grandparents, John Schneider. I know almost nothing about him or about his wife. I know the names of a few of my grandmother's siblings on my dad's side. Uncle Edgar was a Jesuit who I met once or twice, but she was the youngest of thirteen and I never met most of her brothers and sisters. The generation beyond remains shrouded in the mists of past time.

Cleaning and Organizing and Stirring Up Memories

Cleaning closets and drawers merits a low spot on the chore list. Laundry, dusting, vacuuming, dishes, meal prep...they all take precedence over the unseen clutter that attacks you when you open a closet door. 

How Would You Live This Day if You Knew It Was Your Last?

I get a daily meditation in my inbox. Today's was on death. Depressing thought, eh? But a necessary one! St. Robert Bellarmine used to tell his priests they should preach on death once a month. Some of the saints thought about their death every day. One saint (Can't remember who at present.) would imagine himself in hell when he examined his conscience and would ask himself what he did that day to earn eternal damnation. Pondering on death is a powerful medicine. I think one of my Lenten resolutions will be to imitate the saint and examine my day in the light of death. We're all going to die. It would be good if we are well-prepared and ready when the unforseen moment arrives. As Fr. Buckley always told us on retreat: "Death is certain; the hour of death is uncertain."

When Weird Thoughts Bother You, Invoke Your Guardian Angel

The other day, I had a recurring thought that kept buzzing around me:

Just Call Me Killer Kreitzer!

You wouldn't get the shot and
now I'm here for you.

I periodically get scolded and warned of my damnation by a j@b enthusiast who trolls my blog. She says I'm responsible for killing people, so I'm now going by the moniker, "Killer Kreitzer, the Angel of Death." Kinda catchy, don't you think?

In the troll's latest salvo, she reminded me of my son's blood clots, assuming they were due to COVID and once again judging me as morally evil. And I sure better pray for God's mercy! (Which I do...every day!) 

This woman knows less than nothing about my family's situation, but that didn't inspire her to hold her tongue or exercise control over her keyboard. She apparently can't help herself. I just shake my head and say a Hail Mary for her. I ignore her comment, send my guardian angel to pray with hers, and then dump her drivel in the spam folder. 

Pope Benedict XVI Died Today; May He Rest in Peace.

Don't forget, even a pope needs prayers and it's a spiritual work of mercy.

DE PROFUNDIS

What Will Be Your Last Words?

If you were the bug in that chicken's mouth what would be your last words?

Browsing my email this morning, I came across a headline asking, "What will be your last words?" I didn't read the article, a sermon for the feast of St. Lawrence. I've avoided the author for years after his severe criticism of home schooling parents. 

Tell Us Again How Good the Experimental Death Jabs Are!

Just ask Dr. Science. The jab has lots of benefits from his point of view and his cohort of elitist allies who think of the rest of us as untermenchen. Hey, the jab is a blessing from heaven and Jesus Himself would stick out his arm for it if he walked the earth today. Just ask Pope Francis. Take the poison and like it! And hey, no matter how many teen boys die of myocarditis, it's safe, safe, safe for kids. Give it to your toddler!