Q: Often, we hear about what’s bad within the Catholic church and its history. Tell us of the good you’ve seen within the Catholic church.
A: Peace beyond all understanding and freedom from the fear of death, along with genuine faith, hope and charity, writ large and long, the world over, courtesy of our Savior Jesus Christ, who remains the head of the Catholic Church, the Holy Spirit, who remains its constant Advocate/Spirit of Truth and God the Father, whose inestimable power, love and grace makes it all possible, in spite of rampant, human corruption and sin.
How “the swap” works:
Mary, in the role of our Heavenly Mother, wants to help you, to make your life peaceful and joyful. She wants to take all the pressures and crosses in your life. She wants to pick up your problems, all those things that prevent you from being peaceful with God and peaceful with other people. She wants you to give the problems to Her so that She can take care of them.
She knows much better than you do how to take care of your problems. After all, She has been a Mother for a very long time! So once She picks up that problem, you will be free of it. Instead of your heart being focused on a problem which will obsess you all the time, you will be able to open up your heart to the whole world.
For instance, if you are praying for the conversion of one of your children, and make the “swap” with Her, then instead of your heart being focused on your child alone, your heart will become like Her Motherly heart, taking care of all the children of God.
You enlarge your heart to the dimensions of God’s heart!
But it is not as if you have stopped praying for your own intention either, because your intention will be included in Our Lady”s intentions. If you think about it, almost every intention that you pray for can be included in any one of Our Lady”s intentions.
Perhaps you are praying for a friend who is very ill. Our Lady”s intentions include prayers for the sick. So when you pray for Her intentions of the sick, you are praying for your friend as well. Maybe you are praying for your teen-agers. Our Lady”s intentions include prayers for young people. Maybe you are praying for a job situation. Chances are that the people causing you grief at your job are unbelievers, so when you pray for unbelievers, you are in essence, praying for your own job situation.
The list goes on.
Forming Hearts in the Peace of Christ
at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church
in Darien, Illinois
Dear “Ex”,
There’s no such thing as an “ex” Catholic.
When you were baptized, all your sins were forgiven, you became an adopted child of God, a living temple of the Holy Spirit, a citizen of Heaven, co-heir with Jesus Christ, and a member of the church. Your immortal soul received a special, indelible mark, identifying you as one of God’s very own.
None of this was merely temporary, or subject to revocation. It was accomplished for the purpose of your eternal salvation and for the glory of God. And it was good.
Yet, many of today’s Catholics – deeply disappointed by actual and/or perceived failures in church leadership – are subsequently abandoning the church – with no intention of ever coming back.
The corruption and hypocrisy of some who lead the church is indeed, shameful and scandalous, yet such things should no more keep you from remaining authentically Catholic than corrupt politicians and congressmen should keep you from remaining authentically American.
The most important thing at stake is the eternal salvation of your own personal soul, and for that (absent a great miracle) you need to fully and faithfully participate in all of the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the Catholic Church – the only church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded – corruption, scandals and all!
Even Jesus had his Judas!
If you’re old enough and intelligent enough to “surf the web”, then you’re probably capable of “sorting out” adult questions of faith, without merely throwing up your hands and walking away. The main purpose of this site is to help with those types of issues. Additional resources, in-kind or in-person, can always be found at your local, Catholic parish.
In any case, God loves you and God will provide; but things begin to look much, much better when you take the time to discern your proper place in the whole scheme of things, stand up and accept God’s honest truth and once again, begin to aspire to the high purpose, for which you were created. Of course, none of that really matters if you remain voluntarily estranged and/or separated from Christ and his church, through sin.
Personal experience leads me to suspect that the problem(s) you have with the Catholic church may actually be rooted in some seemingly intractable, personal, moral issue – not something that is specific to any of the current, public, church scandals. If that’s true, then you’re in denial and the only real barrier to effective and total reconciliation with God, is pride.
To obtain a fresh start, it’s typically left up to us mortals to sincerely and contritely apologize to God, confess all our (known) sins, have a firm purpose of authentically repenting/turning away from those sins and ask God to mercifully, forgive us.
Catholics fully accomplish this task by making a good, sacramental confession, as often as might be necessary. Any Catholic priest will be more than happy to “walk you through” the process with grace, sensitivity, compassion and understanding, no matter how long it’s been, or how serious the sins. You can even call ahead, to make an appointment.
There’s no charge. There’s no judgment. Everything is absolutely private and confidential – even, anonymous – conducted through an opaque screen – if you prefer.
After confessing, you’ll be assigned a “token” penance and be officially absolved of all your sins. Then, you will depart, spiritually renewed and mentally refreshed.
God is good. His Catholic Church may be troubled, but it is still quite capable of saving souls and ministering to all the needs of the faithful. Jesus Christ specifically set things up that way, just for you. His marvelous grace is always sufficient.
Why not give it one more try?
If today you hear God’s voice, harden not your heart. (Psalms 95:8) (Hebrews 4:7)
Love,
Doug Lawrence
Today’s question: What biblical thoughts or Scriptures bring you great peace?
Answer: Knowing and loving God is what leads to peace and joy, beyond all understanding, which is eternal salvation, in Jesus Christ. That is the ongoing mission of the holy Church and the Lord’s enduring promise to its’ members.
Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men.
The Lord is nigh.
Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline: think on these things. The things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, these do ye: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Question: Precisely what type of “peace” are we hoping for when we say “Peace Be With You” at Mass?
Answer: The “peace beyond all understanding” that the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity became man in order to declare, is the peace between sinful mankind and God, which could only be achieved by the salvific work of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son.
When we say “Peace Be With You” at Mass, we should be thinking something like this: “May God, according to the grace obtained for us by his divine son, forgive all our sins, justify us in faith and personally invite us to spend eternity with him, in Heaven.”
For people of true faith, that should also be enough to mitigate any of the temporarily anxieties and worries brought on by the stresses and strains of our mundane existence here on earth, until the day that we might be privileged to experience God as he really is.
Question: So god required a sacrifice and then he sacrificed his son who was also himself?
Answer: Not exactly.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three divine and distinct persons who essentially constitute the one, true God.
1 X 1 X 1 = 1
The 2nd person of the Holy Trinity (the Son) took on flesh and became man, while never ceasing to be God. We know him as Jesus Christ.
Jesus did for the human race what Adam failed to do: He remained totally and completely obedient to God the Father, even unto death on the cross.
Since Jesus is the eternal God, it is impossible for him to commit any type of sin, so Jesus is immune to the wickedness and snares of the devil. Jesus’ act of total obedience to his heavenly Father, as one of us and on our behalf, served to appease God’s wrath (due to our sins) redeem mankind and “make” the peace between man and God.
When Jesus permitted the forces of evil to unjustly put him to death, he became the perfect and spotless sacrifice for the sins of the world and the forces of evil became subject to divine judgment, subsequently forfeiting the dominion over all the earth that they enjoyed after “the fall of man”.
When he rose again three days later, Jesus defeated death and proved his claim to divinity, as well as his mastery over Satan, sin and death.
Jesus is now the King if Kings and Lord of Lords, wielding all power over heaven and earth, death and hell.
Fallen mankind does not have that type of power. Only Jesus does.
Through faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ, along with baptism into his church, the power to overcome death becomes available to all who truly seek it. This is primarily a function of divine grace, which is a free gift from God.
All we need do is accept God’s saving grace (which Jesus deliberately obtained for us by his life, death and resurrection) and make a free will choice to cooperate with that grace, as a full, faithful member of his church. Then, we hope for the best.
God will do the rest. His grace is sufficient.
But now all has changed… dreadful days have come upon us which the appeasing rhetoric of modernized Christians cannot hide: the Revolution of the atheist world has entered the Church and is wearing everything down.
There is no longer any stability and the Church appears to have entered into a perennial Revolution which changes everything continuously: confusion in the rites, confusion in doctrine, confusion in morals, confusion in discipline.
You do not know if the truth of today will be the same tomorrow. Many, priests and faithful, rush around anxiously in order not to be left behind, adapting themselves in whatever way they can, to this wearisome confusion.
The one who is truly seeking God in this revolutionary Church, is left frightfully alone.
What to do in this suffocating atmosphere? And what not to do?
First of all, it is important not to be beset by agitation, it is important not to react like revolutionaries: that would be like treating a disease, which is precisely what the Revolution is, with the same illness. The revolutionary spirit, even when it pretends to save the good, will never be the solution.
Instead, it is essential to stay really outside of the Revolution, by living Catholicism integrally in the stability that was there, before the Revolution invaded everything.
Editor’s note: Vatican II is what happens when God finally steps aside and permits the men who run the Catholic Church to pursue all the desires of their hearts.
“He came up and approached the patient, and offered a prayer,” New London Fire Chief Raymond Reed told KHQA-TV. “It was a Catholic priest who had anointing oil with him. A sense of calmness came over her, and it did us as well.”
Considering how many people were at the scene and interacting with the mystery faith leader, the story is a fascinating one.
“I can’t be for certain how it was said, but myself and another firefighter, we very plainly heard that we should remain calm, that our tools would now work and that we would get her out of that vehicle,” the firefighter added.
Now here’s where things get weird.
Editor’s note: These things happen way more often than most people think. Here’s another short, illustrated, real-life, personal story.
God loves you. God will provide – and that often means answering frantic prayers with just the right person, for the job. All we can do in the mean time, is try not to mess things up too badly – and/or too often – since God’s ways are not our ways – and it’s never wise to act recklessly or presumptuously.
It’s also always a good idea to say a quick prayer for anyone who you might notice, happens to be in distress, may have been injured, may be very near death, or has recently died.
One more thing … thank God for priests. The vast majority of priests are nice guys who are just trying to do God’s work, under what usually turns out to be very difficult circumstances. Priests are at their best – and are most appreciated – when they are attending to the souls of those who are literally, staring death in the face. Those who have been there will, I am sure, agree.
James 5:14-15 Is any man sick among you? Let him bring in the priests of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. (15) And the prayer of faith shall save the sick man. And the Lord shall raise him up: and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him.
Additional related links:
Anointing of the Sick, Last Sacraments, and the Apostolic Pardon
Priests Prevented From Anointing Boston Marathon Bombing Victims
Five general principles of discernment of God’s will that apply to all questions about it, and therefore to our question too, are the following:
Jesus resolved a “structural” problem that occurred as a result of Adam being swindled out of his God given earthly dominion by Satan, the devil.
As a result of Adam’s fall from grace, Satan managed to enslave Adam and all of his offspring under an evil dominion, based on the power of death.
God permitted such a thing because Adam was properly and completely educated (warned in advance) by God and should have known better. Once Adam lost everything to Satan, there was no (natural) way of reversing (restoring) things. Hence, God stepped up to right the wrong.
True God and true man, Jesus is the sinless, fully authorized and fully qualified “kinsman redeemer” – the only one who has the supernatural power, as well as the “natural right” to step in and redeem mankind from perpetual slavery to Satan, sin and death. But it would not be easy and it would not be accomplished the way most would expect.
Because Jesus is God – and because Jesus is also a sinless man, Satan had absolutely no power (the power of death or otherwise) over Jesus – so Satan and his minions (the corrupt Jews and the pagan Romans of the time) had absolutely no authority to put Jesus to death.
They went ahead and crucified him anyway, even though they should have known better. They had been warned, all the way back in Genesis 3:15.
Jesus permitted it to happen, since when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s evil dominion over mankind and the earth was forfeit and mankind now had a (perfect and sinless) new leader – the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one who Satan had absolutely no power over.
Now, all power on earth and in heaven (as well as everywhere else) was awarded to the New Adam – the resurrected Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man – who had effectively “crushed the head of the serpent” – freeing mankind from the power of perpetual death and hell – just as he promised, so long ago – and who, by his glorious resurrection, proved all that I claim here and more.
God the Father was pleased, freely bestowing grace, peace, divine adoption, protection from eternal death and much, much more, on all who choose to swear faithful allegiance to his divine son, Jesus – something that is typically accomplished through water baptism, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as through faithful membership and regular, consistent participation in the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the only Church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed, for the purpose of our salvation – the Holy Catholic Church.
Asked and answered on Yahoo Answers
by Doug Lawrence
I grew up in the 50’s and 60’s, in a (fairly) conventional family consisting of dad, mom, two brothers and a sister.
Dad took the car to work each day. Mom stayed home and took care of the house and kids. No surprises there.
We all went to Catholic school … but that’s not the point. The point is how mom ran the household … and particularly … the way she personally maintained family standards.
Even though we rarely had any serious discussions, there was no doubt that we were unconditionally loved and cared for … mainly because that’s pretty much all that mom did … 24/7 and 365. Of course, dad’s job (and his personal commitment to the family) made possible that extraordinary level of “intensive care”.
The house was always spotless. Meals weren’t fancy, but they were generally prepared on time and in abundance. Our clothing, grooming, and personal behavior were always closely and very effectively monitored … sometimes through “mysterious” means. Family outings were modest affairs, but frequent. Holidays were indeed feasts, with Christmas and Easter being number one and number two (but not necessarily in that order). Sundays were reserved for Mass and for family.
That’s just the way things were. We never questioned why.
Little went unnoticed, and nothing important to mom could ever be considered (by us) as irrelevant or insignificant, since we knew with certainty that a fate worse than death awaited all those who might transgress.
The means of our execution was the dreaded “whipstrap”!
Reputed to be a family heirloom of indeterminate age, the whipstrap had been fashioned from a stout piece of leather, roughly three inches wide and twenty-four inches long. The first part served as a handle. The last was cut into a classic “cat o’ nine tails” … and it was truly awesome to behold!
The “instrument” typically need not even be displayed, since the mere mention of it was usually sufficient to restore order. But, when partial measures were unsuccessful, deploying the whipstrap and applying a stroke or two, usually did the trick.
Mom was in pretty good physical shape (probably from all that walking … since she didn’t drive … and there was no outrunning her. She was even known to leap fences (and reportedly, tall buildings) in a single bound. And should we have been fortunate enough to discover a hiding place that was (as yet) unknown or inaccessible to her, dad would always be home, by six.
There was no escape!
The carnage wrought by the whipstrap was immense … and the suffering impossible to imagine … at least for a moment or two … in our young minds. Yet we all survived … and thrived … mainly because we were able to develop a good, clear sense of what was right and what was wrong. We also learned that actions brought sure and certain consequences … and sometimes, those consequences could be unpleasant.
The whipstrap effectively symbolized all of that potential unpleasantness. In this, a vision of Hell itself could not have been any more effective.
Years later … studying the Old Testament of the Bible … I suddenly realized that all the carnage and strife recorded therein really wasn’t much different than what went on back home … albeit on a much grander scale.
God lovingly cared for his children. God had particular standards and preferences, and when the “kids” got out of hand, God did what was necessary … for their own good … to rein them in.
Evil, in the person of Satan, made the problems in the Bible much more intractable, and the consequences much more severe. But, the “model” still works, since God remains the master of life and death, and he is most certainly able to transcend any and all human sufferings and failings … either in this world … or in the next.
Back home, should there have ever been any doubt about the fairness of our punishment, a hug from mom or dad was typically all that was necessary to fix things. No harm. No foul. Life went on.
My Catholic faith informs me that a “hug” from the Almighty would undoubtedly, have a similar effect.
So, you see … thanks to my parents and my family … I know man and I know God. I know love and I know wrath. I know justice and I know peace … and I know (as a faithful Catholic) that I have nothing to fear.
It’s good to “know” stuff like that … especially, when living in difficult times!
by Doug Lawrence
The first thing God did after Adam fell from grace was call a meeting. (That probably explains why meetings have always seemed like a form of punishment, to many of us.)
The Old Testament Bible Book of Genesis, Chapter 3, verse 15, duly records the promise God made to Adam at that meeting … the promise of a redeemer … who would one day come to repair the damage that had been done … something that Adam could never hope to accomplish on his own.
Genesis 3:15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
Until that day, all of mankind would remain enslaved to Satan, sin, and death … except for the Virgin Mary, who was, by special privilege of God, conceived without sin, in order to make it possible for her to become the mother of our holy Savior, Jesus Christ. (That’s also why the above Bible verse has both a decidedly masculine as well as feminine “sense” to it.)
When Almighty God sets out to fulfill a promise, there’s nothing in the universe that can stop him … hence the joyous and absolutely confident proclamation of the angels, on that first Christmas:
Luke 2:10-14 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people: For, this day is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will.
As we all know, within the space of some thirty-three short years, that mild babe in the manger went on to perfectly fulfill all the prophecies and promises that God had ever made, concerning him … destroying Satan’s evil dominion, reconciling sinful mankind, opening the gates of Heaven, and permanently establishing the Kingdom of God, on the Earth.
Thanks to Christ, the state of war that had existed between Satan dominated, sinful mankind and God, was over. From that day forward, God’s grace would trump sin and death, while Satan, the former slave master and undisputed “Prince of this World” would remain a tragic, desperate, fugitive on earth, waiting for his sentence to be ultimately carried out, much like the late Iraqi dictator Sadaam Hussein, who spent his last days cowering in an underground “spider hole”, until justice finally caught up with him.
Now (and forever) Jesus reigns
as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Merry Christmas!
I’ve lost touch with my old friend Bob Stanley,
of The Catholic Treasure Chest
and the original domain name is no longer available.
Bob’s site has been (for the last 20 years or so) one of the finest, most complete, truly Catholic websites on the planet.
According to the informal plan that Bob and I worked up together, many years ago: Should such an event occur, I was to restore the site from a comprehensive backup and get things up and running again, ASAP.
The Catholic Treasure Chest is once again, up and running
and may be accessed through available links
on this (www.AskMeAboutGod.org) site.
Today’s question: What biblical thoughts or Scriptures bring you great peace?
Answer: Knowing and loving God is what leads to peace and joy, beyond all understanding, which is eternal salvation, in Jesus Christ. That is the ongoing mission of the holy Church and the Lord’s enduring promise to its’ members.
Philippians 4:4-9 Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men.
The Lord is nigh.
Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline: think on these things. The things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me, these do ye: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Asked and answered today on Yahoo! Answers. Edited for clarity and content.
Jesus resolved a “structural” problem that occurred as a result of Adam being swindled out of his God given earthly dominion by Satan, the devil.
As a result of Adam’s fall from grace, Satan managed to enslave Adam and all of his offspring under an evil dominion, based on the power of death.
God permitted such a thing because Adam was properly and completely educated (warned in advance) by God and should have known better. Once Adam lost everything to Satan, there was no (natural) way of reversing (restoring) things. Hence, God stepped up to right the wrong.
True God and true man, Jesus is the sinless, fully authorized and fully qualified “kinsman redeemer” – the only one who has the supernatural power, as well as the “natural right” to step in and redeem mankind from perpetual slavery to Satan, sin and death. But it would not be easy and it would not be accomplished the way most would expect.
Because Jesus is God – and because Jesus is also a sinless man, Satan had absolutely no power (the power of death or otherwise) over Jesus – so Satan and his minions (the corrupt Jews and the pagan Romans of the time) had absolutely no authority to put Jesus to death.
They went ahead and crucified him anyway, even though they should have known better. They had been warned, all the way back in Genesis 3:15.
Jesus permitted it to happen, since when Jesus died on the cross, Satan’s evil dominion over mankind and the earth was forfeit and mankind now had a (perfect and sinless) new leader – the resurrected Jesus Christ, the Messiah, King of Kings and Lord of Lords – the one who Satan had absolutely no power over.
Now, all power on earth and in heaven (as well as everywhere else) was awarded to the New Adam – the resurrected Jesus Christ – fully God and fully man – who had effectively “crushed the head of the serpent” – freeing mankind from the power of perpetual death and hell – just as he promised, so long ago – and who, by his glorious resurrection, proved all that I claim here and more.
God the Father was pleased, freely bestowing grace, peace, divine adoption, protection from eternal death and much, much more, on all who choose to swear faithful allegiance to his divine son, Jesus – something that is typically accomplished through water baptism, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as through faithful membership and regular, consistent participation in the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the only Church that Jesus Christ ever personally founded, authorized, empowered and perpetually guaranteed, for the purpose of our salvation – the Holy Catholic Church.
Asked and answered on Yahoo Answers
Question: So god required a sacrifice and then he sacrificed his son who was also himself?
Answer: Not exactly.
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three divine and distinct persons who essentially constitute the one, true God.
1 X 1 X 1 = 1
The 2nd person of the Holy Trinity (the Son) took on flesh and became man, while never ceasing to be God. We know him as Jesus Christ.
Jesus did for the human race what Adam failed to do: He remained totally and completely obedient to God the Father, even unto death on the cross.
Since Jesus is the eternal God, it is impossible for him to commit any type of sin, so Jesus is immune to the wickedness and snares of the devil. Jesus’ act of total obedience to his heavenly Father, as one of us and on our behalf, served to appease God’s wrath (due to our sins) redeem mankind and “make” the peace between man and God.
When Jesus permitted the forces of evil to unjustly put him to death, he became the perfect and spotless sacrifice for the sins of the world and the forces of evil became subject to divine judgment, subsequently forfeiting the dominion over all the earth that they enjoyed after “the fall of man”.
When he rose again three days later, Jesus defeated death and proved his claim to divinity, as well as his mastery over Satan, sin and death. Jesus is now the King if Kings and Lord of Lords, wielding all power over heaven and earth, death and hell.
Fallen mankind does not have that type of power. Only Jesus does.
Through faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ, along with baptism into his church, the power to overcome death becomes available to all who truly seek it. This is primarily a function of divine grace, which is a free gift from God.
All we need do is accept God’s saving grace (which Jesus deliberately obtained for us by his life, death and resurrection) and make a free will choice to cooperate with that grace, as a full, faithful member of his church, and then, hope for the best.
God will do the rest. His grace is sufficient.
Question: Precisely what type of “peace” are we hoping for when we say “Peace Be With You” at Mass?
Answer: The “peace beyond all understanding” that the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity became man in order to declare, is the peace between sinful mankind and God, which could only be achieved by the salvific work of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son.
When we say “Peace Be With You” at Mass, we should be thinking something like this: “May God, according to the grace obtained for us by his divine son, forgive all our sins, justify us in faith and personally invite us to spend eternity with him, in Heaven.”
For people of true faith, that should also be enough to mitigate any of the temporarily anxieties and worries brought on by the stresses and strains of our mundane existence here on earth, until the day that we might be privileged to experience God as he really is.
Question: Where was God when all the recent earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires were going on?
Answer: Even though God hadn’t heard from many of those affected (for a very, very long time) he was patiently standing by, waiting to hear from them, in order to provide for all their needs, according to his inestimable love and kindness, as well as his inexhaustible, supernatural abundance.
Those who know God know that this is true.
Phillipians 4:6-8 Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, (shall) keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
For the rest, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever modest, whatsoever just, whatsoever holy, whatsoever lovely, whatsoever of good fame, if there be any virtue, if any praise of discipline: think on these things.
One of the sweet things about being a priest is being able to minister at a person’s deathbed. The veil between this world and the next is very thin at that point, and you can see so much. When I say you can “see” so much what I mean is that so much is revealed. At that point the person who is dying is usually very vulnerable and open. Their worldly facade is fading. Their accomplishments and pride are forgotten. They realize that all the stuff of this world will soon be left behind.
Often the person is quietly sleeping. The family is gathered around and there is no response as the last rites are given. On the other hand, sometimes the process is very conscious. More than once I’ve been called to visit a man or woman who has called the parish office specifically because they know they are dying and they want to see a Catholic priest.
So I once made my way to a small apartment in a not so good part of town. I was admitted to find a man in his sixties with a haggard expression gasping for air. Call him Ralph.
Doug Lawrence's Catholic Site 