The Death of a Great Man by Michael Hichborn

Antonin Scalia will be greatly missed and Michael Hichborn shows us just how much wisdom he left behind for those of us who struggle on in the morass of our current disintegrating culture. Hichborn's two concluding paragraphs give us food for thought:

"Once in a Civilization Event...."

Will the 2013 "once in a civilization" comet herald the Second Coming next Christmas?

The last gigantic comet in 1680 didn't, but it sure gave folks a good scare:

[M]ost people throughout the civilized world, the learned as well as the multitude, feared that the end of all things was at hand. Every church in Europe, from the grandest cathedral to the humblest chapel, resounded with supplications, and in the province of New York a day of fasting and humiliation was appointed,in order that the wrath of God might be assuaged.

As Fr. Z says, "We could use more of that all the time and not just in moments of crisis."

Amen!

So all you faithful out there, imagine that the end of the world is coming tomorrow. If you do that every day, one day you will be right because the world will definitely come to end for each one of us even if we aren't here for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on a cloud of heaven.

Pray for the grace of final perseverance. In the end, that's all that will matter.

You Don't Know the Day or the Hour

I take Communion to the Catholics at a local nursing home every Sunday. One is a lovely lady from Massachusetts who has Alzheimers. Her daughter moved her about a year ago so she'd be closer. It was a hard adjustment. She went to daily Mass "at home" and had many friends. Happily, one of the gentleman in the home, a widower (I'll call him Bill), took her under his wing, looking after her with such tenderness it was sweet to see. I would come in and find him getting her a glass of juice or coming down to her room to bring her to one of the activities. He appeared to be one of the healthiest people in the home and one of the most alert. 

Yesterday, the nursing home called to say "Bill" had died suddenly the night before, a shock to everyone, and "Linda" (not her real name) was very distraught. Could I come and sit with her because family was unavailable until later in the day. Of course I went right over. I found Linda lying in bed hugging a stuffed animal and weeping. I thought of Jesus weeping at the tomb of Lazarus. I stayed with her for an hour hugging and comforting her and reminding her that she would see Bill again and that she was not alone. A number of the staff came in just to give her a hug. We walked the corridors praying several decades of the rosary for the repose of Bill's soul and her own comfort.

This isn't the first time someone has died suddenly there. I've been taking Communion since 2002 and on occasion have been shocked by the death of someone who seemed exceptionally healthy, while other very sick patients live for years. We don't know the day or the hour. We need to be prepared every moment.

Are you ready if you're called today? In the event of a sudden death, is your spiritual house in order? There's a great bumper sticker, "Life is fragile - Handle with prayer." It's a good motto for each of us. Prayer is talking (and listening) to God. We pray if God is our friend. It shows where our treasure lies. If we only talk and listen to the world, which belongs to the Prince of Lies, well...how can we claim to be God's friends?

Where will you spend eternity?

Please pray for "Linda" and for the repose of "Bill's" soul.