Sunday Meditation: Of the Three Little Pigs, Parenthood, and Preparing for Death

When our children were young we had a car with no radio. So we entertained the kids by telling stories. Larry told fairy tales and I told Bible stories. A favorite from Daddy was The Three Little Pigs. Mom and Dad filled up their napsacks with all kinds of goodies and sent them off to make their way in the world,  build their own houses, and outsmart wolves.

Let Us Pray for the Repose of the Soul of Pope Francis and for the Election of a Holy Pope.

The editor of OnePeterFive has a very interesting article speculating about the death of Pope Francis. Let us pray, his imaginary deathbed confession was true. It does not wipe away all the damage Francis did during his papacy, but perhaps it can spark in our hearts a desire for his salvation and a sense of compassion. 

Death and Its Temptations: Praying for Pope Francis!

illustration painting of the Death as know as Grim Reaper holding the scythe against the eclipse
on the background, digital art style, Generate Ai Free Photo

I was praying for the pope this morning after reading the section in The Spiritual Combat on the temptations that precede death. What a frightening time that must be as we all will learn unless we die suddenly.

"Life is Like Toilet Paper" and Other Thoughts

I often read articles posted at Beyond These Stone Walls by falsely imprisoned priest, Fr. Gordon MacRae. His case illustrates the evil of ungodly prosecutors, corrupt policemen, and greedy lawyers whose only motivation is money and advancement. (Read this!) 

Reflecting on the Blessing of Death

Raymond John Schneider
1917-1985

During my morning prayer time, I reflected on death. Today is the 38th anniversary of my dad's passing into eternal life. We had just sent my mom off with my aunt and uncle to have dinner. She had hardly left the house during my dad's final battle with terminal cancer and we thought she needed to get away for even a few minutes respite. Daddy died almost immediately after they left, but we decided not to call right away. Let her have a quiet dinner.

They say the dying often wait until their nearest and dearest leave before giving up the ghost. That's what my dad did. It was my sister and I who were with him. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed resting his head on the mattress. We were gently rubbing his back and chatting quietly when I realized that he didn't seem to be breathing. We lifted him and already the blood was pooling at the pressure spot on his forehead. We got him back into bed, called the hospice nurse who came quickly and helped arrange his body, and gathered my local siblings to pray the rosary. Daddy had been anointed and I can't remember now whether the parish priest was with us or not. I'm inclined to think he was. When Mom returned we were all there to offer comfort in her great grief.

How Hard It Is to Say Good-bye!

Part of the sorrow at losing a loved one is the sense that you could or should have done more. I've been there. My mom lived with us the last four months of her life and, after she died, I remembered all the ways I failed. She died in 2002 and I still tear up when I think of specific times when I could have done something differently or showed her better that I loved her. So I wasn't surprised to get the email below from my friend whose mother-in-law died on Monday. Please keep her and my friend and his wife in your prayers.

My wife is crying often. She says she thinks she could have done more. 

I've got videos from about 5 years ago showing Mom's visible decline in her physical & mental state. Mom's reasoning & mental acuity declined. As time went on very bad decisions were made with her Pekingese, how when and where she would walk him. Especially when Mom would walk the dog at 6 am, with cars on the roadway and darkness all about; not the best of decisions.  Mom would have obvious physical coordination problems, falling off the treadmill in the basement and never alerting us about it.  I can now assume Mom knew she had problems, but was afraid of the changes we'd have her make.  She'd walk up and down staircases arns full of stuff, walking like a 17-year-old with a devil-may-care attitude; knowing I'd enlighten her if I found out. 

May the Souls of the Faithful Departed, Through the Mercy of God, Rest in Peace.

My friend sent a final post today about his mother-in-law who died Monday morning. Her journey is over as it will be for all of us. Please, in your charity, pray for the repose of her soul.

Nearing the End of a Long Road of Suffering from Dementia

If you have been following my friend's posts describing the journey his wife accompanying his dying mother-in-law who has dementia, the story is nearing it's end. You can read more at:

Have a Little Cake and Coffee at the Death Cafe

A friend sent me an email earlier today saying she'd seen a sign in a local coffee shop in Berryville advertising a "death cafe." Yes, you read that right. It's the latest thing. Get together over coffee and cake and talk about death. One promoter of these events says she's "passionate about death."

The founder of the Death Cafe, Bernard Crettaz, organized the first one in 2004. He wanted to remove what he described as the "tyrannical silence" around the topic of death. Crettaz also wanted to renew the pagan tradition of the "funeral feast" in which "the living would renew their bonds while letting go of what weighed on their hearts." The tradition of the funeral feast has some bizarre elements and in some cultures includes animal sacrifice and practices to prevent the spirit of the dead from haunting the living.

What a Difference Faith Makes: The Story of Two Dying Women

Brittany Maynard (29) is dying of inoperable brain cancer. One can only grieve for this young woman's ordeal and the fear that must accompany it. She's scheduled her check-out day for November 1st because she wants to celebrate her husband's birthday on October 26th. And she's made her final days a crusade to promote physician-assisted suicide in every state in the nation. She's working with Compassion and Choices, a group with roots in The Hemlock Society. Rita Marker, an expert on the history of the euthanasia movement often points out that the movement to legalize "mercy killing" isn't about the right to die, but the right to kill. And it grew out of The Hemlock Society whose founder, Derek Humphry smothered his first wife, Jean, when drugs failed to kill her. He then drove his second wife Ann (who participated in the killing) when she developed breast cancer years later. (See here.) Brittany, no doubt, hasn't got a clue about the history of this group making her the poster girl for their deadly agenda. What a coup!

Kara Tippetts is dying as well - of metastasized breast cancer. But she is facing her ordeal with faith. She recently wrote a book, The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life's Hard.  She continues to blog her story of life at Mundane Faithfulness. Instead of turning to death, Kara turns her face to life -- to live every minute trusting in God and seeing suffering, not as a curse, but a grace, In a letter to Brittany she wrote, "Suffering is not the absence of goodness, it is not the absence of beauty, but perhaps it can be the place where true beauty can be known....Knowing Jesus, knowing that He understands my hard goodbye, He walks with me in my dying." She expresses a deep compassion for Brittany's suffering saying,  "My heart longs for you to know Him in your dying. Because in His dying, He protected my living. My living beyond this place."

These two women are putting faces on another battle in the war between the culture of life and the culture of death. One is the champion of death and despair; the other is the champion of life and hope. Which way will our culture go? With the courts so often having the final word, I fear we can expect the same result as the battles over abortion and same-sex "marriage." Nevertheless, we must continue to fight and witness to life!

It's ironic that Brittany plans All Saints Day to commit an act that can only be described as a blasphemy against God. Let's beg all the saints to intercede for her that the grace of God reaches her heart and saves her from walking through the gate with the sign, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here." Even if she goes through with her suicide continue to pray. Remember Jean Vianney telling the grieving widow of a man who jumped from a bridge to his death that her husband repented between the time he jumped and the moment of his death. We cannot know the final end of anyone, even those who commit suicide. I'm praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for Brittany today. Will you join me?

Head of National Catholic Reporter Dies at 48

Joe Feuerherd, head of liberal Catholic weekly, has died

Feuerherd is survived by his wife Rebecca and their three children. Pray for the repose of his soul. When the bishops put out guidelines against voting for pro-abortion candidates in 2008, Feuerherd made it clear he was voting for Obama. Here's what USA today reported in its obituary:

Four years later (2008), in a Washington Post column, Feuerherd said he would vote for Barack Obama, "bishops be damned," after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved voter guidelines that cautioned against casting ballots for politicians who, like Obama, support abortion rights.

"To Catholics like me who oppose liberal abortion laws but also think that other issues — war or peace, health care, just wages, immigration, affordable housing, torture — actually matter, the idea that abortion trumps everything, all the time, no matter what, is both bad religion and bad civics," Feuerherd wrote.

Feuerherd's claim to oppose liberal abortion laws conflicted with NCR's constant drum-beating for pro-abortion liberal democrats and their featured columnists like Rosemary Ruether, Sr. Joan Chittister, and others who promoted abortion and contraception. NCR also helped promote the lie that there is a difference between being pro-abortion and "pro-choice" as in "Nobody is pro-abortion, but many are "pro-choice."

Please pray for Joe Feuerherd today. Impending death has a way of clearing the mind and awakening the conscience. Let us pray he thought of the least of God's little ones as he prepared to meet his Maker.