ESCHATOLOGY -- END TIMES, STAY READY

The big Greek word in the title is one that has captivated me for a long time.  I have often spent extended periods of time on long road trips turning over various trial understandings of the reality behind this word.  I have also spent time wondering what others think about the word and the concepts that it evokes.  The simplest, general expression of its meaning can be written, as above, "end times."
Actually, that is not quite enough because after all, the word 'Eschatology" is a Theological term, not a purely secular term.  The end times that it drives the mind and heart to are the times when human life ends and all that is left is spiritual, disembodied life the likes of which will last for all eternity, or in other words, beyond time.  Our Catholic understanding of this all encompassing milestone can be boiled down to some simple terms:
Human life ends - spiritual life begins.  God takes over and decides whether the spiritual life will be one of everlasting joy or one of everlasting misery.
That's it.
The challenge for us is to trust that God and we can stay joined on the same page consistently enough so that when the end comes upon us, we will be ready and His judgment of us will fall on the happy side.  Thinking about this, and talking to God about it a lot in our lives is an important habit to have.  By talking to Him often and discussing the possibilities that our present, time measured behaviors present to us and to Him can help to deepen our trust (faith) in Him and get us ready, and keep us brave enough to stay ready until the unknown moment comes upon us.

Lately, in fact now, I am experiencing a life event that is new to me.  In 8 decades I have not yet had this experience.  It is a challenge for me, not to take away the towering challenge that it has to be for others.  On August 31, 2017, ten days ago, a new friend, a strong collaborator and a builder of success for a common project that is but one-half complete was called to judgment by our Father Creator, but not in a manner that I have ever experienced.  My newly found friend was killed in what is euphemistically called an "accident" but which legally will be defined as "manslaughter."  Yes, while sitting at a traffic signal, waiting for a light change, a drunken driver in a large vehicle travelling at close to100 MPH struck the smaller vehicle in which JoeMari was sitting.  The result was the termination of Joe's earthly life.

My life has been full of death, timely and untimely, to put it in human terms.  Eschatologically, every death is timely because it is a part of God's time.  But boy, I tell you, this one is strumming my heart strings pretty close to the "untimely" bracket.  Why?  Joe and his dear wife were preparing a choir presentation to be delivered on stage in the main public square of Bethlehem, yes, that Bethehem on the occasion of the solemn lighting of the Christmas Tree on December 2, 2017.  Don't worry, we will be there.  We have to be there so that we can see what it is that our dear Father Creator has in mind for us amid all this trauma, drama!  I'm staying ready for this one.  I gotta see the power of God at work in this one.  I know how it works, I've been there, a lot.

Here today, gone tomorrow:

Cecile. aunt.
Joseph, grandfather
Eugene, father
Melina, mother
Elna, cousin
Alcide, uncle
Donald, uncle
Harley, uncle
Tom, cousin
George, cousin
Victor, cousin

No, I didn't make this up.  Not a one by violence.  Not even the four who served in Europe and one in the pacific during WWII.  Only 8 first degree relatives slid quietly into death.  Joe's death is a new one on me.

My deep relationship with the concept of eschatology is keeping my mind whirring since this event occurred.  I have been a week and a half now wondering if eschatology can be a dynamic reality.  Is it time going toward the goal or it is the goal itself?  I know that through my life this concept has been a strong force that tends to keep me on the straight and narrow.  It has served as a sign-board of the final reality in waiting.  It has sometimes seemed to be close enough to be touched and at other times far and barely visible over the horizon.  I have personally faced death a couple of times (a .45 cal is a big, black hole, believe me) but I never feared it, and still don't.  This violent episode has driven me to a different side of myself that has me wondering about the things I have escaped.  Hmmm, like driving while plastered; like even talking my way out of the "ticket" one time when I got stopped at 2:30 AM (Springfield, MA it was...good Italian Catholic cop).  I wonder about this and other events in my life and I thank God for the energy and the Grace that He gives me to think about these things.
I have been thanking Him a lot this past week because had I been the one to cause another person's death, I am quite sure that I would have died to myself at the same time.

So, that's me. Now that you know all that, don't forget that because I didn't die to myself yet, when they finally do put me into a box, it is absolutely forbidden to cry at my funeral.

BLOOD MOON, BLUE MOON, GREEN CHEESE MOON

Love that predictable stuff!  Don't you?

Not as rare as 4 blood moons in 30 mos.!
But, very predictable

Now this one I like.  Nobody, but nobody, altar boy, censer bearer, Gospel Reader, bell ringer, bishop, priest, deacon, pope, patriarch, visionary, you name it/him/her, no one is ever going to be able to nail this next one down.

When this happens, good luck and God bless you all.

I am presenting my thoughts on the Bible based"prophecies" concerning natural phenomena that are making the rounds these days.  The one that is making the most impact at this time is the one making a big issue of the "Blood Moon" scheduled for September 28, 2015.  This is because it will be the fourth in a series of lunar eclipses occurring at intervals of about six months.  The present tetrad will present its final "Blood Moon" on September 28, 2015.
  
There are those who think that this tetrad is of special significance because all four of the blood moons are coinciding with significant Jewish holidays.  The prophecies that are being proposed all come from self-identifying Christians, not Jews.  They are all warnings of calamitous changes in the course of Israelite history.  The prophecies are all fashioned from specifically chosen Bible verses and are of course aimed at preparing people, Christians and Jews alike, to turn to Jesus in order to be in line for whatever will happen, up to and including the Rapture.

I do not think, and I do not believe that these astronomical phenomena have any religious significance whatsoever.  Not for Jews, not for Christians, not for Bhuddists, nor Taoists, not for Muslims, nor anybody else for that matter.  These are nothing but ongoing, very predictable actions according to the laws of nature. It is but natural and very predictable that some of these galactic events will coincide with religious commemorations that are based on the lunar cycles to begin with. There is absolutely no extra-natural (supernatural) significance to these recurring and predictable phenomena.  None.  There is no human nor divine reason to inflate the meaning of the coincidence between the date of a predictable astronomical (astrological?) event and the date of the coinciding religious high day to a level that reaches prophecy.

In addition, I do not believe in the interpretation of the meaning of Scripture as presented to me by those who tell me on the one hand that Sacred Scripture is all I need to come to know the plan of God but then try to convince me that they have the right to impose their interpretation of Sacred Scripture on me based on a predictable astronomical event that they say has a reference in the Bible.  No, thank you. 

Furthermore, I have a deep and abiding faith in the Universal Unity of God's management capability over the entire world.  I do not believe that God sends signs to Jews and Christians to the exclusion or marginalization of the rest of the human occupants of the planet.  God created us all.  God keeps us all alive.  When He decides to end the world, He will give us signs so terrible that no one will have any doubt about what is coming.  No one.

Deeper yet, I say that I trust in faith that God, the creator of the laws of nature doesn't play games with them.  He doesn't make them say one thing to me and another to you.  He doesn't make them behave one way on Jewish High Days and another way on Catholic and Orthodox high days.  He also doesn't play games with the Muslims and their high days, such as Ramadan. No, I don't think that God really gives a hoot about our mutiple calendars.  I believe that we are one with God and that He sees that we all have our good times and our bad ones.  He knows the righteous and He knows the sinner and He deals with each according to His will.  When the Hour comes when He will deal with us all, we will not need any "prophet" to tell us what is coming...It will be unmistakable...It will be the night of the Green Cheese Moon.

I will surely die before then.  You all now know that you surely will not cry at my funeral.

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Be ready for you know neither the day nor the hour...
Yes, you're looking at a clock, believe it!

Dear brothers and sisters:
May these simple words find you in peace and joy.  I have have to tell you about s conviction that I have been nursing now for the last 15 or 20 years.  It has to do with a Gospel character who has become very dear to me.  I have to tell you that I have come to the personal conclusion that this individual is laboring under the effects of a "bad rap."  You all know him well.  He is the one a who is hardly never quoted as the tough character who was not afraid to say,  “Let us also go to die with him.” (John 11;16)
It's been a long time that I have been admiring him for his ability to stare death in the eye and not be afraid. So this year, during the Holy Week and Easter season I have been spending a lot of time reflecting on the strength of faith and it's victory over doubt as we see it in the Bible.  
May I start with Sarah and Abraham?  Of course Sarah is the one who giggled.
Then I have to jump to Peter on the water.
Then we see the eleven disciples in Galilee where Jesus had told them to meet him, and we read the words of Matthew:  "The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.  When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted."
This was after Mary Magdalene wondered if the body had been stolen.
After the apostles ran to the tomb to check it out.
After the two disciples from Emmaus had their theophany.

I say that we cut Thomas a little slack and admire him for the courage of his convictions.  This man is brave and humble at the same time.  Who among us can imagine standing in front of our community of love and fraternity and stand our ground?  Furthermore, who among us has the strength and courage to accept our doubt in humility and love and atone for it?  
The man who had the courage to "...go to die with Him" also had the courage to go and live the way that the Master directed,  
“All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28;18-20)

Yes, Thomas is a big hero of mine.  I never call him "Doubting" because it is not fair to single him out from among the other doubters, many of whom still populate today's world.
Keep what I have said here in mind if you are ever slightly tempted to cry at my funeral.

DEFEND MY FAITH? I DON'T HAVE TO

I have arrived at a point in my life that has me thinking that people who are looking for ways to defend their faith don’t know what that attitude means.  I certainly have no need to defend my faith.  In the first place, there is no one in the world who can make a serious enough attack against my faith to make me need to defend it.  The only attack against my faith is an attack on my very life. 

My faith is not something that I have that can be taken from me.  It is not something that is separate from my being.  It is so deeply woven into me that it is not a possession, a process, a relationship or a blood type.  It is life itself.

For as long as I can remember, and, I am convinced, even before some of my memories, I have lived faith together with God the Trinity and with the Holy Mother of Jesus, begotten Son of God and birthed Son of Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.  I was baptized nine days after birth.  Never a day of my existence did I survive outside of the presence of God thanks to the shared faith of my mother, father and the rest of the family.  I have never known another life than that of a credulous son of God.  I have nothing to defend.

I can talk about God all day and all night.  Never once will I get defensive.  Aggressive, yes.  Defensive? Never.  My life of faith is a life in community.  My life is within the Communion of Saints.  My life is within the communion of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  It has always been thus.  I feel no need to defend this.  It cannot be taken from me except through physical death.  Nothing can threaten my faith.  Nobody can threaten my faith.  I know that because I have experienced threats to my life along the way.  Faith and I never wavered.  I have listened to overtures from several distinct types of “missionaries” who were aiming their non-Catholic wiles at me.  I didn’t need to defend my faith.  It was, and still is, my faith that sent them packing with their tails between their legs and their Bibles, still closed, under their arms.

I don’t need a Bible to talk about God and my life with and in God.  I don’t spend my time looking for the right chapter and verse for the right answer.  I proclaim my faith from the heart and soul of my being.  I live with my Bible in the comfort of our home shrine or in a corner pew in the chapel, alone with my Eucharistic God.  God is on my mind a lot and He is my life all the time. What is there to defend?  My Bible?  Not mine.  You can have it if you want.  All the pages are still nice and white.  No highlighter colors, underlines nor marginal notes.  All those things are not necessary.  I don’t have to memorize the page number, the chapter, the verse or any other material thing.  All I need is to enrich my life in and with God.  I don’t live my life in chapters and verses.  I live my life with the Person who comes to life from the pages and fills my soul with a deeper understanding of who He is.  It is He who created me, who saved me and who is sanctifying me.  I don’t have to defend my faith, it is my faith that defends me.  So I leave my Bible at home and speak from the heart and soul about my life in God.  So what’s to defend?

Where do I spend my life in God?  In the Communion of Saints as defined by the Catholic Church.  That includes getting familiar with God and with His friends the angels, the saints in heaven and suffering souls of purgatory and the militant priests, prophets and kings living in time on earth.  I get to know a lot about Him every day.  Every day we talk is enriching for me.  Every day we spend together even without talking much is still a good and enriching day.  Do I have to defend that?

On a good day I get to spend some time with Him at His special abode.  I get to celebrate the Sacrifice of our Salvation in His memory.  I don’t get to enjoy that grace every day because of my work schedule.  However, some two or three days a week I can find time to offer the Divine Sacrifice side by side with the Lamb of God and in the presence of His Chosen People gathered around the altar of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.  It is a profound experience at every instance.  It is a dynamic, grace-filled moment being together with God among his living saints; with God through His Sacred Word and with God in the Divine presence of the Eucharist.  The shared faith of the gathering of the righteous around the altar doesn’t need any defending because it is the protection of the faithful not the weakness. 

I don’t have to defend my faith.  I certainly don’t have to use a disfigured Bible to help me defend it.  My faith is my life.  You have permission to attack my faith to your heart’s content.  Have at it.  I don’t need to defend my faith, God does it for me. 

That’s why there will be no need for you to cry at my funeral.

My daily life is filled with many thoughts.  There are so many that I cannot hope to act on every one of them.  However there are some that capture me so much force that I cannot let them escape without comment.

I have many biblical heroes.  I visit them and revisit them often in the course of a week.  It is my way of praying.  When I am sitting there sipping tea and talking to Abraham, Noah or Moses, I can’t help but be moved toward God.  Samuel, Nathan and Elijah are very special to me as well. 

When I analyze it while standing in front of the mirror after a shower, I always come up with the same conclusion:  I love these people because they were not afraid to talk to God frankly.  He talked to them frankly and they talked back to him the same way.  That is captivating in itself.  However, what I find much more captivating is that after the conversation, all my heroes did what God asked of them.  It didn’t matter how well or how badly life was going for them.   When God wanted something, He knew whom He could trust.  It is so penetratingly powerful to see the will power that these heroic individuals called up in order to obey their loving Heavenly Father.  

It is from that holy communion of heavenly dwellers that our Blessed Mother Mary came to visit us one day 169 years ago in the French Alps.  She too was on a mission.  She came to remind us that obedience is the first and most important response to Faith.  Faith is a God given grace that requires our “Yes.”  Actually it requires two “yeses.”  Yes, God, I believe; Yes, God, I’ll do it.  She puts it very squarely on our shoulders, “Unless you submit, I will be forced to let fall the arm of my Son.”  That’s the key.  Obey.  If you really believe, obey.  From the moment of creation, we are called to obey.  Listen,

Adam, name all this stuff;

Adam, don’t eat from that tree;

Noah, build me an ark;

Abram, come and follow me, I want to show you where I want you;

Abram, circumcise all the males around you;

Abraham, go to Sodom and Gomorrah and take the righteous people out;

Moses, go talk to pharaoh;

Moses, tell my people to get ready to leave;

Moses, get my people out of there.

I could go on, but you get the point.  The entire relationship between God and us is one of give and take, take and give.  Get used to it, it was ever thus and it will be ever thus.  Live by it and live happily ever after, here below and there above.  That’s what our Mother says.  She should know, look what she did.  She was so good at it that even her Son gave her the honor of obeying her here below.  Let’s obey Him so that He will be so pleased with us that He won’t mind bending down to help us through the challenge of being human.

 LA FOI ET L’OBÉISSANCE SONT 

ENTRELACÉES POUR L’ÉTERNITÉ

Ma vie quotidienne est remplie de beaucoup de pensées. Il y en a tellement que je ne peux pas espérer prendre compte de chacune d'elles. Cependant, il y en a certaines qui me capturent avec tant de force que je ne peux pas les laisser passer sans commentaire.

J'ai beaucoup de héros bibliques. Je leur rends visite et je les revisite souvent au cours d'une semaine. C'est ma façon de prier. Quand je suis assis là, sirotant un thé et parlant à Abraham, Noé ou Moïse, je ne peux pas m'empêcher d'être trahi vers Dieu. Samuel, Nathan et Elie sont aussi très spécial pour moi.

Quand j'analyse le tout quand je me trouve devant le miroir, je reviens toujours a la même conclusion: J'aime ces gens parce qu'ils n'avaient pas peur de parler a Dieu franchement. Il leur parlait franchement et ils lui répondaient de la même façon. Ce qui est captivant en soi. Cependant, ce que je trouve beaucoup plus captivant est que, après la conversation, tous mes héros ont fait ce que Dieu s’attendait d'eux. Il n'y avait pas d'importance comment bien ou comment mal vie allait pour eux en ces moments la. Quand Dieu voulait quelque chose, il savait en qui il pouvait avoir confiance. Il est si admirable de voir la volonté que ces personnes héroïques exercèrent afin d'obéir à leur Père céleste .

C'est à partir de cette sainte communion des habitants du paradis que notre Sainte Mère Marie est venue nous rendre visite un jour il ya 169 ans dans les Alpes françaises. Elle aussi était en mission. Elle est venue nous rappeler que l'obéissance est la première et la plus importante réponse à la foi. "Oui."  La foi est une grâce donnée par Dieu qui exige de nous une réaction, un dynamisme. Elle requière deux « Ouis, » Dieu, je crois ;  « Oui, » Dieu, je vais le faire.  Notre Sainte Mère pose le défi de la foi très carrément sur nos épaules, «Si vous ne vous soumettez pas, je serai obligée de laisser tomber le bras de mon Fils. »  C'est la clé.  Obéir. Si vous croyez vraiment, obéissez.

A partir du moment de la création, nous sommes appelés à obéir .

Écoutez,

Adam, nomme toutes ces choses;

Adam, ne pas mange de cet arbre;

Noé , me construire une arche;

Abram, viens et suis-moi, je veux te montrer où je te veux;

Abram, circoncis tous les mâles autour de toi;

Abraham, va à Sodome et Gomorrhe et prends les justes en fuite avec toi ;

Moïse, va parler à Pharaon ;

Moïse, dis à mon peuple de se préparer à partir ;

Moïse, prends mon peuple et sortez de là.

Je pourrais continuer, mais vous voyez clairement ce que je veux dire.  L’ensemble des relations entre Dieu et nous est l'un des données et des reprises, des reprises et des données.  Is faut s’y habituer, il a toujours été ainsi et ce sera toujours ainsi. Il faut apprendre comment vivre dans ce rythme.  Qui vit selon la cadence divine vit heureux pour toujours, ici-bas et là-haut. C'est ce que dit notre Mère. Elle devrait savoir, regardez ce qu'elle a fait. Elle était si bonne et si bien ajustée que même son fils lui a fait l'honneur de lui obéir ici-bas. Obéissons-lui afin qu'il soit si heureux de voir notre façon de vivre qu'il ne s'en voudra pas de s’enfiler un tablier pour nous aider à relever le défi de bien vivre notre vie humaine.

PLEASE GOD? WHO? ME?

The Scripture readings of today called forth many of the same hackneyed homilies that we have heard for years.  Be ready or else be punished.  The same old stuff about the master goes away and the servant who is left in charge carouses and when the master comes home unexpected, the servant gets punished.  I sat there in church this morning and from the first syllable I knew what the next twelve minutes were going to be like.

I sat there asking myself when someone would think of talking about the trust of the master that has to be fulfilled by the servant in order to please the master?  When is someone going to give a meditation on what it means to please the master?  There is nothing in these readings that indicates an employer/employee relationship, is there?  There is nothing here that speaks of pay is there?  

There is not one place in the gospel that shows God remunerating anyone according to a strict adherence to productivity or time.  God doesn't ever pay anyone.  God rewards those who please Him.  He punishes those who displease Him.  God is not bound by any legal requirement to pay anyone for collaborating with Him.  God and we are bound together in a love covenant, not by an employment contract.  

Yes, we are bound to collaborate with God in the work that has to be done in the world.  From the very first pages of the Bible God enlists us as His collaborators.  Not employees.  Collaborators.  We find out the depth of the relationship when we are taught to pray by Jesus.  He tells us that we pray and develop a relationship with "Our Father."

I don't know about you, but I know that in my house my father had expectations of me and of my siblings concerning the chores that needed to be done.  You know what?  We did them, or else.  I remember one time I asked my father why he didn't give me an allowance like some of my friends got at their homes.  My father just looked at me and said, "I feed you, don't I?"  I was ashamed that I had even asked.  It also came to me that he not only fed me, but bought my school books, my clothes and even gave me a sip of wine at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

All of that to say that <Yes, God expects us to collaborate with Him in the "chores" that need doing.>  If we do not meet expectations, He is not pleased.  If we meet expectations, He is pleased.  If we exceed expectations He is well pleased.  The more pleased He is the deeper our relationship with Him gets because the more His Grace flows our way.  

The more we displease Him, the worse things get.  You don't believe me?  There's a book on your shelf that has that teaching ennumerable times written into the more than 2,000 pages that are sitting there.  You will find the expression about God being pleased many times.

Stay ready?  Why tell me to stay ready when you could be telling me to keep my Father's loving satisfaction and pleasure in mind?  Staying ready is easy when you are doing what it takes to please the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  When you tell me to live in constant and persevering readiness through loving collaboration with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then you won't have to keep harping on "staying ready."  Was it so hard for the five wise virgins to stay ready?

Remember, God doesn't pay wages, He shares His love and His spiritual treasure out of love to those who please Him by living in His presence by constant and collaborative faith, love and hope.

Think about it.  Do something about it in your life.  If you do, you'll be glad I reminded you about it and you won't have to cry 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.

THE STARS OF THE SKY, THE GRAINS OF THE BEACH SAND

La foi naît de l'appel de Dieu. Personne ne peut prendre le crédit pour la foi  et la conversion.personnelles. Ce n'était pas Abraham qui a pris l'initiative de partir ou d'inventer une nouvelle façon de servir Dieu. Ni Dieu l'a-t-il inviter avec une proposition qu'il pouvait contester avec sa propre opinion. Dieu l'a appelé à l'impératif et c'est de la même manière que les prophètes et les saints glorieux ont été appelés.
C'est de cette façon que Dieu les a libérés. En conséquence du péché, tous les êtres humains naissent et vivent dans la terre étrangère du péché. La plénitude de notre réalité personnelle n'est pas fondée sur Dieu aussi longtemps que nous ne sommes pas en communion avec Lui. Nos religions et nos idéologies qui sont les produits de notre culture ne nous permettent pas de dépasser les limites d'un monde que nous faisons par et pour nous-mêmes, selon la mesure de nos propres ressources. Afin que nous puissions tirer pleinement conscience de notre appel, il est nécessaire que Dieu nous appelle et que nous acceptions l'invitation à sortir du cercle fatal.

La foi nous met au service de la volonté de Dieu, qui est de sauver l'humanité. Il est possible que pour un moment Dieu nous attire avec une faveur personnelle, mais sous peu, il nous insère dans ses projets à la fin de sauver le monde. Afin de suivre le Christ et faire partie de son peuple élu, il est nécessaire de croire aux promesses que Dieu a faites à son peuple. Dieu nous a prédestinés à être le levain et la lumière du monde.

La foi exige une rupture. Elle nous oblige à regarder de l'avant sans nostalgie de la chaleur et le confort du sein maternel. Les êtres humains se développent en surmontant «crise» après «crise» dans la vie. Ils quittent leur famille, vont travailler, se marient ... La foi nous donne la force de faire face à ces ruptures avec optimisme et nous amène au point où nous pouvons affronter de plus douloureuses. Ce processus nous permet d'entrer plus profondément dans le service de Dieu. La foi est le plus grand moyen par lequel les humains grandissent dans la maturité.

La foi d'Abraham nous enseigne la différence entre l'homme terrestre qui construit sa vie selon les normes de la sagesse humaine et croit qu'il sait où il va, et la personne de la foi qui cherche les signes de Dieu afin de voir où Dieu veut que la voie à suivre doit être. Pour toute une vie, l'homme de foi est un errant, un pèlerin cherchant une justice supérieure, la justice pure et une plus grande perfection que celle qui est le produit de confection purement humaine.

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FAITH –

Faith is born of a call from God.  No one can take the credit for personal faith and conversion.  It was not Abraham who took the initiative to leave or to invent a new way to serve God.  Neither did God invite him with a proposal that he could contest with his own opinion.  God called him in the imperative and this is the same way that the glorious prophets and saints were called.

It is in this way that God freed us.   As a consequence of sin, all humans are born and live in the foreign land of sin.  The fullness of our personal reality is not grounded in God for as long as we are not in communion with Him.  Our religions and our ideologies as products of our culture do not permit us to transcend the limits of a world that we make by and for ourselves according to the measure of our own resources.   In order for us to take full conscience of our call, it is necessary for God to call us and that we accept the invitation to escape the fatal circle.

Faith places us in the service of God’s will which is to save humanity.  It is possible that for a moment God attracts us with a personal favor, but then he inserts us into His specific projects to the end of saving the world.  In order to follow Christ and be a part of His Chosen People, it is necessary to believe in the promises that God made to His people.  God destined us to be the yeast and the light of the world.

Faith requires a breaking away.  It obliges us to look forward without yearning for the warmth and comfort of the womb.  Humans grow by overcoming “crisis” after “crisis” in life.  They leave their family, go to work, get married… Faith gives us the strength to confront these ruptures with optimism and brings us to the point where we can confront more painful ones.  This process allows us to enter more deeply into the service of God.  Faith is the greatest medium through which humans grow into maturity.

The Faith of Abraham teaches us the difference between earthly human who construct their lives according to the standards of human wisdom and believe that they know where they are going, and the person of faith who seeks the signs of god in order to see where God wills the path forward to be.  For an entire life, the person of faith is a wanderer,  a pilgrim seeking higher righteousness, purer justice and greater perfection than that which is the product of purely human confection.

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La fe nace de una llamada de Dios. No se puede tomar el crédito por la fe personal y la conversión. No fue Abraham quien tomó la iniciativa de salir de su tierra o de inventar una nueva manera de servir a Dios. Tampoco Dios lo invitó con una propuesta que podría disputar con su propia opinión. Dios lo llamó en el imperativo y es de la misma manera que los gloriosos profetas y los santos fueron llamados.

Es de esta manera que Dios nos liberó. Como consecuencia del pecado, todos los seres humanos nacen y viven en el país extranjero del pecado. La plenitud de nuestra realidad personal no se basa en Dios por el tiempo que no estamos en comunión con él. Nuestras religiones e ideologías como nuestros productos de nuestra cultura no nos permiten trascender los límites de un mundo que hacemos por y para nosotros mismos de acuerdo a la medida de nuestros propios recursos. Para que podamos tomar conciencia plena de nuestra llamada, es necesario que Dios nos llama y que aceptamos la invitación a salir del círculo fatal.

La fe nos pone al servicio de la voluntad de Dios que ha por fin de salvar a la humanidad. Es posible que por un momento que Dios nos atrae con un favor personal, pero luego nos inserta en sus proyectos específicos a fin de salvar al mundo. Con el fin de seguir a Cristo y ser una parte de su pueblo elegido, es necesario creer en las promesas que Dios hizo a su pueblo. Dios nos predestinó a ser la levadura y la luz del mundo.

La fe requiere una ruptura. Esto nos obliga a mirar hacia adelante sin anhelo de la calidez y el conforte del seno maternal. Los seres humanos crecen mediante la superación de "crisis" después de "crisis" en la vida. Dejan su familia, van a trabajar, se casan ... La fe nos da la fuerza para aguantar estas rupturas con optimismo y nos lleva al punto en que podemos enfrentar las más dolorosas. Este proceso nos permite entrar más profundamente en el servicio de Dios. La fe es el mejor medio a través del cual los seres humanos se convierten en su madurez.

La fe de Abraham nos enseña la diferencia entre los hombres terrenal que construyen sus vidas de acuerdo a los estándares de la sabiduría humana y creen que saben a dónde van, y la persona de fe que busca los signos de Dios con el fin de ver dónde Dios quiere indicar el rumbo a seguir.  Por toda una vida, la persona de fe es un errante, un peregrino que busca mayor justicia, justicia más pura y una mayor perfección de la que es el producto de confección meramente humana.

FAITH, NOT FOR JUST A YEAR, BUT FOR A LIFETIME

Faith is born of a call from God.  No one can take the credit for personal faith and conversion.  It was not Abraham who took the initiative to leave or to invent a new way to serve God.  Neither did God invite him with a proposal that he could contest with his own opinion.  God called him in the imperative and this is the same way that the glorious prophets and saints were called.

It is in this way that God freed them.   As a consequence of sin, all humans are born and live in the foreign land of sin.  The fullness of our personal reality is not grounded in God for as long as we are not in communion with Him.  Our religions and our ideologies as products of our culture do not permit us to transcend the limits of a world that we make by and for ourselves according to the measure of our own resources.   In order for us to take full conscience of our call, it is necessary for God to call us and that we accept the invitation to escape the fatal circle.

Faith places us in the service of God’s will which is to save humanity.  It is possible that for a moment God attracts us with a personal favor, but then he inserts us into His specific projects to the end of saving the world.  In order to follow Christ and be a part of His Chosen People, it is necessary to believe in the promises that God made to His people.  Godz destined us to be the yeast and the light of the world.

Faith requires a breaking away.  It obliges us to look forward without yearning for the warmth and comfort of the womb.  Humans grow by overcoming “crisis” after “crisis” in life.  They leave their family, go to work, get married… Faith gives us the strength to confront these ruptures with optimism and brings us to the point where we can confront more painful ones.  This process allows us to enter more deeply into the service of God.  Faith is the greatest medium through which humans grow into maturity.

The Faith of Abraham teaches us the difference between earthly human who construct their lives according to the standards of human wisdom and believe that they know where they are going, and the person of faith who seeks the signs of god in order to see where God wills the path forward to be.  For an entire life, the person of faith is a wanderer,  a pilgrim seeking higher righteousness, purer justice and greater perfection than that which is the product of purely human confection.