AS YOU LIVE, SO YOU DIE

It has been quite a while since I have opined on this space.  The life and death of John McCain bring to mind a dictum that I have carried with me from the moment that I first heard it some 60+ years ago. It is the title of this reflection...Our death defines who we are.  It is a mystery that we all have to live and a truth that we can easily find within ourselves.
I spent a lot of my earlier years in a family that experienced a period of two decades during which most of my closest first degree relatives died of acute heart attacks.  In fact all but my sister Jeanine and my God-Mother Grace died that way.  Nevertheless, the dictum applies to them as much as to anyone else. The lives that they lived before the final event is graven in our memories by the mysterious chisel of the process that leads to death.
Consider John McCain.  Two or three days after he terminated the medcine that was keeping him alive, he died.  He decided that the artificial life that he was experincing through the effects of modern medicine was not true to the life that he had lived in the natural environment of pain and suffering that he had inherited from his war time experience.  He must have decided that if his internal bravery was not enough to keep him upright, he would detach himself from the pharmeceuticals and accept to battle on his own.  This time, as he was sure would happen, the attacker won.
I dare say that there are precious few of us who will forget the definition of self that is graven into our own beings.  Some for good and some for less than good, but each and everyone bright and long lasting.  Each and everyone of us is introverting our image of ourselves and asking ourselves and wondering if our death will be kind to our biography or not.
So, fear not the death that will define you.  Challenge the evil potter and give yourself over to the potter who fashions beings who are kind and loving, generous and brave, just but mercifully forgiving.  Now that's a definition that will get us somewhere.

Finally, remember that you are reading the thoughts of the one who reminds you that there is to be no crying at my funeral, no matter what the definition turns out to be.

ANOTHER FUNERAL - FATHER JOVEN JUNIO

Joven Junio MS with ceremonial lei

The vitality of the man in the center will not be forgotten. His departure from earth has been required of him by the Eternal Father.  In the final and ultimate act of obedience, Joven Junio gave up his earthly life per the Divine Will.  
It was a quiet act.  There are no surviving witnesses.  There is but a box of remains and the memories that serve to connect us with him in the hope that through this connection we will also touch a corner of some angel's wing or maybe even the hem of the Savior's glorified garment.
I do not cry at funerals.  I do not mourn for the passing of people.   I see God's hand. Death has been with me for a long time.  I was about 6 years old when my father took me to visit his sister who had died at age 25.  He was not shedding tears and he explained to me that his faith made him see his sister happy by God's side. 
I do not see Jo-Jo by God's side, but I do know for a fact that he was a powerful apostle who was able to bring some who needed to be led to the presence of God.  I do give him credit for being one of those described in Sacred Scripture:
 19
"My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back, he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (James, 5; 19 - 20)

We all know that this is not the only act that Jo-Jo completed in his 57 years of life. The fact remains that he did bring people to God (I know first hand) and I am convinced that God will not forget that.

There are readers of these lines who know me and know that diplomacy is not my forte.  Jo-Jo found that out QUICKLY.  What I found out quickly was that he had answers.  He also quickly received my respect for his intellectual honesty.  If he knew that he had been introduced to a better idea, he accepted it even though it meant a change of mind for him.  I am unafraid to say that there are precious few people who have that quality.  He had it.  I respected him for it.  

I invite you all to thank God for the good that He was able to work in us through His servant Jo-Jo.  I invite you all to join me in praying for the repose of Jo-Jo's soul.

Lastly, don't forget, at my funeral, hold the tears.

La vitalité de l'homme au centre dans la photo ne sera pas oublié. Son départ de ce monde a été exigé de lui par le Père éternel. Dans l'acte final et ultime de d'obéissance, Joven Junio ​​a renoncé à sa vie terrestre par la volonté divine.

Ce fut un acte calme. Il n'y a pas de témoins survivants. Il demeure, mais dans une boîte de restes et les souvenirs qui nous connectent avec lui dans l'espoir que, grâce à ce propos, nous allons également pouvoir toucher le bout de l'aile d'un ange ou peut-être même l'ourlet du vêtement glorifié du Sauveur.

Je ne pleure pas aux funérailles. Je ne pleure pas pour le passage de la vie terrestre. Je vois la main de Dieu. La mort m'est connue depuis très longtemps. J'avais environ 6 ans quand mon père m'a emmené visiter sa sœur qui était morte à 25 ans. Il n'a pas verse une seule larme et il m'a expliqué que sa foi lui fit voir sa sœur heureuse aux côté de Dieu.

Je ne vois pas Jo-Jo à côté de Dieu, mais je sais qu'en effet il était un apôtre 

puissant  qui était en mesure d'apporter certains qui avaient besoin d'être conduit à la présence de Dieu. Je lui donne crédit pour ce qui est décrit dans l'Ecriture Sainte:

  

«Mes frères, si quelqu'un parmi vous s'écarte de la vérité et quelqu'un le ramène, il faut dire que celui qui ramène un pécheur de l'égarement de son chemin sauvera son âme de la mort et sera tenu a l’abri d'une multitude de péchés." (James, 5; 19 - 20)

Nous savons tous que ce n'est pas le seul acte que Jo-Jo a accompli dans ses 57 années de vie. Le fait est qu'il a amené des gens à Dieu (je le sais par expérience directe) et je suis convaincu que Dieu ne l'oublie pas.

Il y a des lecteurs de ces lignes qui me connaissent et savent que la diplomatie est pas mon fort. Jo-Jo l'a constaté RAPIDEMENT. Ce que j'ai trouve rapidement de ma part était qu'il avait des réponses. Il a également gagne rapidement mon respect pour son honnêteté intellectuelle. S'il savait qu'il avait été présenté avec une meilleure idée, il n'avait pas peur de l'accepté même si cela signifiait un changement d'esprit pour lui. Je n'ai pas peur de dire qu'il y a peu de gens qui ont cette qualité. Il l'avait. Je le respectais pour elle.

Je vous invite tous à remercier Dieu pour le bien qu'il était capable de travailler en nous par Son serviteur Jo-Jo. Je vous invite tous à vous joindre à moi pour prier pour le repos de l'âme de Jo-Jo.

Enfin, ne pas oublier, à mon enterrement, gardez vos larmes.

No será olvidada la vitalidad del hombre en el centro de la foto. Se ha requerido de él por el Padre Eterno. En el acto final y definitivo de obediencia, Joven Junio ​​renunció a su vida terrenal por la voluntad divina.

Fue un acto tranquilo. No hay testigos sobrevivientes. No hay más que una caja de restos y los recuerdos que sirven para conectarnos con él con la esperanza de que a través de esta conexión también vamos a tocar una esquina del ala de un ángel o tal vez incluso el borde del manto glorificado del Salvador.

No lloro en los funerales. No lloro por la muerte de las personas. Veo la mano de Dios. La muerte ha estado conmigo durante mucho tiempo. Yo tenia aproximadamente 6 años cuando mi padre me llevó a visitar a su hermana que había muerto a los 25 años. El no estaba derramando lágrimas y me explicó que su fe le hizo ver a su hermana feliz al lado de Dios.

No veo Jo-Jo por el lado de Dios, pero sí, sé que es un hecho que él era un poderoso apóstol que fue capaz de llevar a algunos que necesitaban ser llevado a la presencia de Dios. Hago que darle crédito por ser uno de los descritos en la Sagrada Escritura:

 

"Mis hermanos, si alguno de entre vosotros esta desviado de la verdad, y alguno le hace volver, que deben saber que el que haga volver al pecador del error de su camino, salvará de muerte un alma, y ​​cubrirá multitud de pecados." (Santiago, 5; 19 - 20)

Todos sabemos que este no es el único acto que Jo-Jo completó en sus 57 años de vida. El hecho es que el llevo gente a Dios (Sé de primera mano) y estoy convencido de que Dios no olvidará eso.

Hay lectores de estas líneas que me conocen y saben que la diplomacia no es mi calidad mas evidente. De eso, Jo-Jo se dio cuenta rápidamente. Lo que descubrí rápidamente era que el tenía respuestas. También recibió rápidamente mi respeto por su honestidad intelectual. Si sabía que había sido introducido a una mejor idea, lo aceptaba a pesar de que significaba un cambio de mente para él. No tengo miedo de decir que hay muy pocas personas que tienen esa calidad. Él la tenía. Yo lo respetaba por eso.

Los invito a todos a dar gracias a Dios por el bien que él fue capaz de trabajar en nosotros por medio de su siervo Jo-Jo. Los invito a todos a unirse a mí en la oración por el descanso del alma de Jo-Jo.

Por último, no se olviden, en mi funeral, nadie llora.

INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT OH LORD

I have written many times about the experience of death in this space.  There has been quite a procession of saints that has passed before our eyes.  Some young people and some older people.  Some who died quickly and some who took a while to get it done.  There were some who died from violent causes and some who slipped into the night quietly.  There are some with who I exchanged pleasantries as we bade one another goodbye.  Each time it has been a learning experience in love.

I can't tell you how many times I have been the witness to death because they are too numerous for my aged memory to capture in a moment like this .  There have been those with whom I had good times and there have been those with whom I did not. That did not take the love out of the death experience.  Death is that moment when the gift of life becomes the gift of love because it is the gift of no return that has no boundaries.  It is the gift that defines the life of the deceased and in that definition we all participate in a moment of defining ourselves.  This is true even if we were not very close to the individual, in whatever way you want to define "close."
It is inevitable, that in the moment of death there is a lot going on right there on the threshold of eternity.  It's one of the most profound experiences of human learning with which we are blessed.

All that being said, today we said goodbye to Catalina Sotelo.  This simple, humble, hard working, loving, caring, dedicated person who was warm to everyone with whom she dealt.  She defied my 50/50 rule, I dare say.  My 50/50 rule states "At your funeral 50% of those present will be there mourning and 50% will be there to make sure that it's true."  I know, deep down in my heart that the nearly 500 people in church this morning were closer to 90/10, with only about 10% attending just to check it out.  No, Catalina filled the church because of her great love for people.

When someone fills the church even though they died at only 46 years old, you know that they did something right.  You know that God is showing us that this person had done what had to be done for Him.  It's a witness to a life well led and a faith-life shared with those in communion with you.  

As we pray for the eternal repose of her soul, let us also remember to thank God for the life that He gave her to share with us.  We enjoyed her help while she was warm and vibrant by our side.  Let us enjoy her vibrant spirit across the dimension of the spiritual existence and the physical existence.  

Into you hands, we commend our spirit Oh Lord!

Finally, don't forget that my 50/50 rule, part B is, "No Crying at MY Funeral."

COMMUNION OF SAINTS - COMMUNION DES SAINTS - COMUNIO DE LOS SANTOS

It is the beginning of the end of the year.  It is the month during which we thank God for giving us the grace of faith in the Communion of Saints.  Yes, it is the month of the dearly departed.  It is the month when we remember that the universal call to perfection includes the call to make of our death a holy moment.  It is the month when we, as Catholics, saints in the making, live in the contemplation of this challenge.
A famous existentialist, Jean-Paul Sartre said, "Death is a continuation of my life without me..."
If you don't believe it, think of the loved ones that you have "lost."  Aren't they still alive?  Don't you still profit from their example?  If you had the privilege to accompany them during their last moments, aren't you convinced that their whole life as you knew it was defined by how they died?  That's only the visible part.  If  we can see that, imagine what we can't see.
I have accompanied many people to the grave.  I have even been able to make some of them smile on the way out of the time dimension. I pray for all the people who have gone before me, even if they died at a younger age then I have presently attained.  Why not?  If they do not need my prayer any more because they are already in God's personal presence, they can nudge Him with their left elbow (I believe that all MY loved ones are at His right!) and remind Him to take care of me so that I can join them someday.
Yes, brothers and sisters, November is a great Catholic Month.  It is very Human and Very Divine at the same time.  I will do my best to accompany you on your way through life with some more daring thoughts about life and death in the coming days and weeks.  Keep in mind, NO CRYING AT MY FUNERAL.

C'est le début de la fin de l'année.  C'est le mois au cours duquel nous remercions Dieu de nous avoir donne la grâce de la foi dans la communion des saints.  Oui, c'est le mois de nos chers defunts.  C'est le mois où nous nous souvenons que l'appel universel à la perfection comprend l'appel à faire de notre mort un moment sacré.  C'est le mois où nous, en tant que catholiques, des saints en plein développement, vivons dans la contemplation de ce défi. 

Un existentialiste célèbre, Jean-Paul Sartre a dit: «La mort est la continuation de ma vie sans moi ..."

Si vous ne le croyez pas, pensez aux proches que vous avez "perdus".  Ne sont-ils pas encore en vie?  N'est-il pas vrai que vous bénéficiez toujours de leur exemple?  Si vous aviez le privilège de les accompagner lors de leurs derniers moments, n'êtes-vous pas convaincus que durant toute leur vie vous saviez qu'elle était définie par la façon dont ils sont morts?  Et ce n'est la que la partie visible.  Si nous pouvons constater cela, imaginez-vous ce que nous ne pouvons pas voir.

Quant a moi, j'ai accompagné plusieures personnes à la tombe.  J'ai même pu faire sourire certains d'entre eux sur le seuil de leur sortie de la dimension temporelle. Je prie pour tous les gens qui sont passés avant moi, même s'ils sont morts à un âge plus jeune que j'ai actuellement atteint.  Pourquoi pas?  Si elles n'ont pas besoin de ma prière parce qu'elles sont déjà dans la présence personnelle de Dieu, ils peuvent lui donner un petit coup du coude gauche (je crois que tous mes proches sont à sa droite!) pour lui rappeler de prendre soin de moi pour que je puisse les rejoindre un jour.

Oui, frères et sœurs, novembre est un mois catholique majestueux.  Il est très humain et très divin en même temps.  Je ferai de mon mieux pour vous accompagner sur votre chemin à travers la vie du mois de novembre avec des pensées un peu audacieuses quant a la vie et la mort dans les jours et semaines à venir.  Remarquez bien, PAS DE LARMES A MES FUNERAILLES.

Es el principio del fin del año.  Es el mes en el cual damos gracias a Dios por darnos la gracia de la fe en la Comunión de los Santos.  Sí, es el mes de los difuntos.  Es el mes cuando recordamos que la llamada universal a la perfección incluye la llamada a hacer de nuestra muerte un momento sagrado.  Es el mes en que nosotros, como católicos, santos en camino verso el paraiso, vivimos en la contemplación de este desafío. 

Un famoso existencialista, Jean-Paul Sartre dijo: "La muerte es la continuación de mi vida sin mí ..."

Si usted no lo cree, piensa en los seres queridos que se han "perdido".  ¿No son todavía vivos?  ¿No es verdadero que aún en este momento se beneficia de su ejemplo?  Si usted tuvo el privilegio de acompañarlos en sus últimos momentos, no está convencido de que toda su vida como usted la conocía fue definida por la manera en que se murieron?  Eso es sólo la parte visible.  Si podemos ver eso, imaginase lo que no podemos constatar.

He acompañado a muchas personas a la tumba.  Incluso he sido capaz de hacer que algunos de ellos sonria en la salida de la dimensión temporal. Rezo por todas las personas que han pasado antes de mi, incluso si morían a una edad más joven que yo he alcanzado actualmente.  ¿Por qué no?  Si no ocupan mi oracion porque ya están en la presencia personal de Dios, pueden empujarlo gentilmente con el codo izquierdo (creo que todos mis seres queridos están en su derecho!) para que El  recordará de cuidarse de mí para que yo pueda unirme a ellos.

Sí, hermanos y hermanas, Noviembre es un gran mes Católico.  Es muy humano y muy divino, al mismo tiempo.  Yo haré todo lo posible para que lo acompañe en su camino durante la vida con algunas ideas más atrevidas sobre la vida y la muerte en los próximos días y semanas.  Tenga en cuenta, NO SE LLORA EN MI FUNERAL.

DON'T CRY BEFORE MY FUNERAL - DON'T CRY AT MY FUNERAL - DON'T CRY AFTER MY FUNERAL

St. Paul to the Philippians &
I to you...


Brothers and sisters:
Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 
For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. 
If I go on living in the flesh,
that means fruitful labor for me. 
And I do not know which I shall choose. 
I am caught between the two. 
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better. 
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.


This quote is from the Scripture that was read this morning 

at Catholic Masses around the world.  It was read just in 

front of the story of the workers who were called to the 

vineyard at different times but all got paid the same.

I am willing to gamble big fake $ that not one single

priest in the world dared to preach about the passage 

above.  So I am doing it.

As you all know, everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one is willing to die.  We all know that we are going there, but not too many of us are really looking forward to passing away to get there.  When I heard the thoughts that Paul threw at us many years ago, he was ready.  What I like about him is that he was really at home with himself.  It takes a very strong individual to be able to safely say that "I am caught between the two [life and death] and that death is far better than life here on earth.  You really have to have it together to be comfortable with that sentiment.  
I confess that I am there.  I have no problem with that part of the thought.  I deal with that every day.

The thought that "it is more necessary for your benefit that I remain in the flesh" is where I wonder about saying that to anyone.  That is the part where I know that only about 50% of those who know me would agree.  The other 50% would wish that I would not be so full of myself and just move on.  Imagine having the self image that Paul had and the security of his relationship with God to be able to say that.  I believe that God keeps me here because He has something for me to do.  I tell Him that all the time.  I imagine that He thinks that I am doing a good job and that he is pleased with me, but I keep that kind of talk between me and Him.  Except right here and for this moment alone.  

I'm sitting here at 1:00 AM and thinking that God wants us to have the kind of personal strength that Paul had.  God needs us to have that kind of courage.  He wants us to have a good strong side by side relationship with Him so that we can do the work that He expects us to do.  He wants us to be able to admit that we are valuable to Him.  he wants us to be able to stand before the world and to admit that we are good at doing His work.  He looks forward to our saying, "God keeps me here because it is for your benefit that He keeps me here."  If Saint Paul can say that, why can't we?  Are we going to think that he was arrogant in proclaiming that truth?  Is that what keeps us from saying the same thing, although we might be thinking it from time to time.  

You know why Paul could talk that way?  It's because he knew that his faith in God was so strong that it was not he speaking, but God through him.  Paul knew that as long as he stayed with God, he could walk on water, move mountains and make the lame walk and make the Greeks and the rest of the world accept the God whom Paul was announcing and serving.

Well,my name is Paul.  My father named me Paul because he was a serious disciple of Paul.  I am telling you that I am ready to die.  I am also telling you that I believe that as long as I stay here it is for your benefit because that's how God wants it.  Therefore, neither you nor anyone else has absolutely any reason to be crying at my funeral.

OPEN LETTER TO ONE AND ALL -- RULES FOR MY FUNERAL

RESURRECTION OF A NEW DAY IN GALILEE

In seven years of blogging, this is the second time that I entitle my thoughts, Open Letter.  The first time was about the way young people prepare for their wedding day and the exhorbitant amounts of money that they demand their parents spend to make it a memorable day.  It might be of interest to you to know that the event that sparked my reflections back then cost $35,000 and kicked off a marriage that lasted a grand total of five, count them, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years.
All that money sure didn't cement that relationship.
That's the same wedding, Catholic, by the way, where one of the Scripture readings was read from the Jehovah Witness version of the Bible and no one but me noticed.  Trust me, friends, strange things happen in life.  You will see that a similar thing happened to me today.

The present thoughts are occasioned by a funeral that I attended this morning.  Catholic funeral, of course.  Well, it took place in a Catholic church, anyway.  Things were normal until the presiding priest took to the pulpit. It was then that we got a stream of thoughts about the goodness of God and His everlasting and wide reaching Divine Mercy.  It didn't take long before the deceased was pronounced as being comfortably ensconced in the bosom of Abraham and seated at the right hand of Jesus. So, and I paraphrase, as we mourn the departure of our dearly beloved, our faith tells us that she is happily enjoying the eternal bliss of being with God in heaven.  This is 21st century Catholic drivel, and contradictory at that.  Why are we mourning someone whom you are telling us is in heaven?
Hmmm...Wait, it doesn't end there.  After the sad attempt to comfort people with questionable Catholic doctrine, the priest returned to the altar and announced that we would now pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased.  Really?  Not me, after what you said I want the deceased to pray for me from her exhalted position at the right hand of God Almighty.
By this time, swamped by these mixed messages, I was not a happy camper.  I was saying to myself that we Catholics deserve better than this.  Then I was interrupted in my reflections by the crown jewel of Protestant theological hymnology, "Amazing Grace."  I did say that this funeral took place in a Catholic place of worship, right?  I didn't anticipate that I might also be attending the canonization of the latest saint.

There were two acts that I appreciated, yes, only two.
1. The priest explained why the Paschal Candle was present and was lit.
    He explained that this happens only for three occasions, Easter        
    Season, during the conferring of Baptism and at Funerals.  Each use of
    the Paschal Candle has the same meaning, the Resurrected Christ is
    the center of our life.
2. The priest used the traditional Canon of the Mass, not the short form       to which we have all be subjected on a regular basis, ad nauseam, I
    might add. Yes, I noticed.  The church was full.  I would dare anyone
    to take a poll to see how many of the congregants noticed.  
    Fortunately for the priest I noticed.  It gave me something good to
    say about my experience at this quasi Catholic funeral.

Here are the preliminary rules for my funeral.  Follow them if you want. It just so happens that I won't be in a position to care.
* No crying allowed.
* Two nights of waking.  4:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
* If cremation will keep the price down, do it before the funeral.
* If you keep me in the box, remember, I have the right to have my
   face toward the assembly.  My wife will explain this to you.
* $2,500 limit for the whole thing (Inflation makes it that high)
* No eulogy.  Everyone at the funeral knows me. That's good enough.
   Besides, eulogies tend to make people heretics because they have no
   idea what judgment has been meted out by God to the dead person.
* 1st reading is the story of Enoch from Genesis.  Not more.
* Psalm 15 - in its entirety .. no singing, slow meditative, clearly
   pronounced declamation
* Gospel, "I am the way, the light and the truth."  Not more that 3 or 4
   verses.
* Homily, no eulogy.  Remember, it is not the dead guy you want to
   speak about, it is God.  Do it.
* No Latin, no Protestant hymns.

Remember that I said that God is Merciful and He is a Fair judge.  Hell is a reality and that means that some of us will be there.  Don't dance around it by taking away God's justice by making him exclusively loving and merciful.  Then he would no longer be God.  So don't make Him less than what He is.  It should not be consoling to us to make God fit us when we are experiencing death.  The true consolation that we should seek is the understanding of whom He is and the acceptance of His Divine judgment whatever it may be.  Anything else diminishes Him and diminishes us.
So don't cry for me.  I know what I am getting into.  I am 76, so I face the reality of death every single day as the probability of my disappearance gets ever greater.  I am not afraid...I believe in the truth in the conviction that Jesus has liberated us from the teeth of death.  I repeat, do not cry at my funeral.  Remember and believe that no matter what, I got what I deserved from God the Loving, Merciful and infinitely Fair Father of us all.

LIVING AND DYING TO LIVE AGAIN - BETTER

Yesterday was a day full of spiritual drama.  On the one hand, good news came telling of the return to stronger health for Father Pat.  On the other, the story of Sister Claire Odette leaving her Earthly abode for the other side.  Father Pat is several years older than Sister Claire.  He is the one who is on the road back to health from a long distance down into the pit.

Furthermore, on the same day I received an email from a family that has a long list of human deficiencies that cause them to exercise a high degree of holy patience along the road of life.  They need our prayers.  The mother and father are no longer young (70 +), the daughter is 40 +  and has been in poor health all her life.  The mother is in the "spare parts" season of her life.  Things like artificial knees, artificial eye lenses to correct cataracts and who knows what else. 

These are the physical challenges that we face.  We don't always put the emotional and psychological sufferings that we endure in the life threatening category.  We know that it is possible to live for a long time with neurological and mental abnormalities.  We also know that it is possible to live a long time with "mechanical" problems like arthritis, rheumatism, Muscular Dystrophy and other such "discomforts." 

Every year at about this time I find myself reflecting on the mystery of life.  I have done this for a long time.  I was still quite young when I came face to face with the death of a beloved person.  I have written many pages of meditative thoughts about the relationship that we have with the mystery of life and death.  It most often encroaches on my life during the month of November when the Catholic Church celebrates the mystery of life in stark terms.  It starts off with All Saints Day, moves to All Souls Day and moves through the month celebrating those who have gone before us.  We honor them and we pray that they rest in peace.  We also can't forget that we someday are going to be among them.  We know that life doesn't end at terrestrial death.  It just changes form.  The Bible reminds us that it participates in the mystery of the grain of wheat that cannot fructify as long as it does not first die in the ground.  "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." [John 12;24]  We live with that.  We are reminded of it yearly.  We know that the mystery of life includes the mystery of death. 

We respect our earthly life because we believe that an earthly life well lived prepares us for a glorified life in the presence of Almighty God.  We respect life because we believe that it is a gift that only partially belongs to us.  It belongs to God too and He expects it to fructify so that it can become a part of His Eternal Community.  The more deeply we respect life, the happier we are.  The more intensely we live life, the more we come to resemble the Creator who gifts us with it.  The more righteously we live life, the more deeply we come to appreciate the divine mystery that our life mirrors while we are here on earth. 

This is the Catechism of the month of November.  This is the Catechism of Discipleship.  This is the confrontation that Jesus Himself presented us when He said,

"24 ... 'If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25 Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.

26 What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting his life? Or what can anyone offer in exchange for his life?

27 'For the Son of man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each one according to his behavior.'" [Matthew 16, 24 - 27]

November is the 12th month of the Calendar that the Catholic Church follows in its prayer life.  December is the first month.  Every year before we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, we celebrate the mystery of our personal 12th month.  We celebrate the end of life as we know it as we stand before the light of the New Dawn.  We stand in awe at the promise of the new life about which we know only through the eyes and the mind and the heart of Faith.  This is what we do every single year.  Every year we Catholics have the privilege of practicing dying and peeking into the mystery of the transition from this life to the one that Jesus promised to those who would not prize the life that they have more than they would come to prize Him.

Get ready.  On the very last Sunday of the Catholic Year, we will hear the story of Christ the King.  On the very first Sunday of the Catholic Year we will hear the story of the end of the world.  Everything that you have read before getting here explains why Catholics do this.  It is the Catechism of life and death.  Earthly life ends and is transformed so that pure spiritual life can begin.   It is the Catechism of the reality of Discipleship.  We are all invited.  Every single year the invitation is made.  Over and Over again, we get invited.  Why do so many choose not to RSVP?

If we really believe this, why do we cry at funerals?

HER BLOOD CRIES OUT TO GOD FROM THE EARTH OF MORENO VALLEY

To Cain, God said, "should our countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

8Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

9Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

10He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.

11"Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. (Genesis 4; 1 - 11)

Here I am again, spurred on by the necessity to comment on death, dying and living.

In the small Southern California city of Moreno Valley, a gory, inhuman story of abduction and killing of a seventeen year old girl as she made her way across a field to get to a rendezvous with her sister and mutual friends took place. Her badly decomposed body was found in the field, five days after her disappearance. This part of the story is the sad part. What follows is the triumph of virtue and clean living over death.

The earthly remains of Norma Angelica Lopez were brought to the Catholic parish church, St. Christopher, where she and her parents celebrated their discipleship with Jesus Christ. The doors to the adjunct meeting hall were to open at 4:00 PM. The crowd that you see here assembled started to build at about noon of July 28, the day before the funeral. This is a community gathering around a family that has just lost a seventeen year old daughter of great physical and internal beauty. Gatherings like this are usually the result of the assassination of some dignitary, not the murder of a child. But over the two days of public exposure of Norma's family gathered around her casket, an estimated 5,000 people, suddenly became brethren in sorrow and bereavement, surrounded the family and each other with Christian love and hope. Yes, Norma's blood seeping into the earth of Moreno Valley was crying out to God and to His people for Faith, Hope ands Justice. We responded. We came. We consoled one another. We prayed together. We had been disabled and recovered and we thought that we had conquered death. We had been saddened and abused and gone forward and we were joyful that God had helped us to "conquer". Our personal trials and tribulations shrunk and paled in comparison to what we were experiencing here. Here God was revealing Himself to us in a way that is reserved for very, very few people on this earth. Moreno Valley, of all places in the world was hosting the greatest spiritual event that most people will ever receive from God. Our Divine and Heavenly Father together with His Angels and the Saints around Him reached down and let us hear the cry of Norma's blood from the consecrated earth of Moreno Valley. We heard. We came. The cry of this simple, clean living young woman inviting us to know that this cry is an invitation to unity of heart, to celebrate our lives in the Spirit of God so that evil and its practitioners will know that they have no power over us. 5,000 people of all ages, colors and creeds answered the call of God over the cruel spilling of the innocent blood of a seventeen year old child.

When we Catholics celebrate martyrdom, we feature the color red. The color of blood; the color of fire; the color of zeal; the color of energy; the color of life itself.  It would have been an appropriate symbol here.  But when we really want to celebrate and be happy, we use White...the color of light; the color of the Resurrection.  White was the dominant color of Norma's goodbye.  The color of the angels; the color of virtue; the color of innocence; the color of purity.  Even as she was leaving the church yard, her final
limo was white.  She is alone in this picture because there was no room to form a cortège in front of the church.  She parked by the side of the road and waited patiently for the following to form.  We all know that she is not alone.  We are stupefied by what she endured on her way to God.  The mystery behind her last moments in this life clouds our minds.  The mystery of her presence before God is our consolation.  When we think of where she is now, hope forms in our hearts and the cry of her blood to God becomes a hymn of reverence that carries us closer to Him.  It makes us comfortable that we believe that her blood and His irrigated the land of His creation to produce the fruits of salvation for those of us who have to stay behind for a while more.  Through her sacrifice joined with His; through the hearing of the hymn of her blood rising to Him we discovered new reverence for each other in the courtyard of her last moment of presence among us.

I have to say two more things.  First, the words of the sweet Spanish language hymn that was sung as she was guided into the church and carried up to the altar of Eucharistic sacrifice, in my awkward translation.
1 .- My life is In Your hands
Lord.  Into your hands, Lord
I put my existence.

We must die, to find life.
Into your hands, Lord
I entrust my being

2 .- If the grain of wheat does not die,
it will always remain alone;
but if it dies, in abundance will
it bear eternal fruit that will not die.

Lastly, when the mariachi was playing the last goodbye as the casket was committed to the hearse, I heard the cry of Norma's blood and the harp of her guardian angel, and I cried.  At that moment, I came to know a lovely person whom I had never met as a human being.  But now we know one another, and I shouldn't have, but I did, cry at her funeral.

EARLY NOVEMBER MUSINGS

I’ve been waiting a long time to get to heaven
In fact, since nineteen hundred and thirty seven.
It is now two thousand and double “O” seven,
A wonderful stretch of ten times seven
To keep me waiting for the invite to heaven.

I’ve told you all not to cry at my funeral
Because I’m not one who’s fond of bereavin’
And mostly not one who’s going to fuss about leavin’
Since I have been waiting so long to get to heaven,
It’s too late to cry about things and beefin'

But,

This is the time when the barns have swallowed the harvest,
The artists have put the pumpkins to the carving test,
The turkeys are sure that they are approaching their oven test,
The chickens are scurrying to hide behind their feathered nest,
Mothers and Fathers will visit the child who cooks the best
And I’m thanking God that I’m still waiting for my eternal rest.

Then,

We all know that shortly Jesus is coming,
The two doves are a cooing
The three French hens are clucking
The four calling birds are calling
The five golden rings are blinging
The six geese are a-laying
The seven swans are singing (hmmm?)
The eight maids are a – milking
The nine ladies are a-dancing
The ten Lords are aerobically leaping
The eleven pipers are hotly piping
The twelve drummers are already drumming,
I am to Midnight Mass a-going
Because I don’t live where it is a-snowing
And I am happily one more year a-closing.

Dear God,

You have heard me time and time again say,
I am not afraid of your taking me by the hand,
For that last and glorious walk along San Diego’s sand.
I know that when you do that, I will recognize the way,
I will rejoice that you are taking me to the eternal day.

So,

Lord, you give us November, month number eleven
To remind us of those you’ve already taken to heaven.
You do it to remind us that all beginnings start with an end.
You do it to remind us what we will find around the bend.
You do it to remind us that our funeral is a beginning, not an end.

Friends,

At my funeral, no Kleenex required. Especially since I am a pure cotton handkerchief kind of guy.