1) Why are so many of us frightened of the event of death when our Savior died so unspeakably? If our GOD died such a tragic, human, death…for US…how could we ever think we deserve a better, human end than He?
2) PLUS, our Savior gave us the opportunity to reach Heaven so what are we so afraid or sad about?
3) How dare we ever say “Why me?” when our Savior suffered unspeakably? He was mocked, beaten, humiliated and murdered in front of a crowd (including His own Mother)? What in our lives could ever TOP that suffering? How can we EVER say “Why me?”
4) Why are many of us no longer fearful of Satan?
Having been faced squarely by the fragility of life this past year by watching my 5 year old son heroically fight cancer, it forced me to contemplate death more than I ever had to this point. I consume acts of violence, death, sickness, tragedy, suffering, even difficult relationships far differently than before & I thank God for the insight this experience has imparted on me.
By saying the Sorrowful Mysteries, obviously you are walked through the final steps of Jesus’ life on Earth. If you really think about each mystery & try to envision what that must have been like for Jesus, Mary and all who witnessed it. Picturing that Passion walk, the carrying of the cross…how violent, scary, and dehumanizing. We may see some horrible, violent act take place somewhere today on the news and the masses are horrified, angered and scream for justice and this is what happened to OUR LORD and SAVIOR! The ultimate worst side of our human nature in action. The ULTIMATE sin against man BY man. He did NOT have to do this, He is GOD. He did NOT have to become human and suffer the way we do. God could have achieved His goal in MANY ways yet He chose the worst, possible suffering a human could endure for the sake of all of us so we could understand.
I have dear friends who spend a lot of time dwelling on sickness and death of either themselves or their loved ones. The more I think about it, through witnessing the experience of my son, I firmly believe that God doesn’t give one iota how we pass from this Earthly life or at what age and what kind of pain we endure when it happens. As much as He doesn’t individually pick for each of us how it will take place. We were given pain in our lives due to our fallen status as humans from our sin. We were never promised easy lives on Earth. It is WONDERFUL when that happens for some but think of the Saints…I can’t think of ONE who didn’t have a difficult, hard life that ended in tragedy. How can we shlubs expect or desire something BETTER or easier than what our Lord or the Saints endured in their human lives. YET….most of us fare far better than these blessed people did and it is my prayer that we at least recognize that fact. The materialism, in particular, of the Westernized world has removed us so far from this understanding (I myself a terrible victim of it) that it leaves many of us with the phrase “Why me?” too close to our lips.
I have dear friends who spend a lot of time dwelling on sickness and death of either themselves or their loved ones. The more I think about it, through witnessing the experience of my son, I firmly believe that God doesn’t give one iota how we pass from this Earthly life or at what age and what kind of pain we endure when it happens. As much as He doesn’t individually pick for each of us how it will take place. We were given pain in our lives due to our fallen status as humans from our sin. We were never promised easy lives on Earth. It is WONDERFUL when that happens for some but think of the Saints…I can’t think of ONE who didn’t have a difficult, hard life that ended in tragedy. How can we shlubs expect or desire something BETTER or easier than what our Lord or the Saints endured in their human lives. YET….most of us fare far better than these blessed people did and it is my prayer that we at least recognize that fact. The materialism, in particular, of the Westernized world has removed us so far from this understanding (I myself a terrible victim of it) that it leaves many of us with the phrase “Why me?” too close to our lips.
“Why God did I lose my job? I’m a good person.” “Why did my child, mother, neighbor, get sick God…they are such good people?”, “Why did 9/11 happen God? Those were all innocent people?”, “Why did I lose my house?” etc., etc., etc.
I contend…God really doesn’t care. Well, I’m sure He CARES & doesn’t WANTany of us hurt BUT He also doesn’t personally pick who will be wealthy or what kind of good fortune or bad fortune will befall us. There is no “Karma” in this Earthly life. Good deeds are REQUIRED of us whether our lives are blessed with good fortune or not. Good fortune doesn’t come to us if we are very good people to others. It’s really nice to see that happen for some but one is not a criteria for the other.
9/11, earthquakes, tsunami’s or other natural disasters, war are perfect examples of this. God doesn’t care how we make it to Him…we will ALL pass, the means, methods and timeframe are of no matter to Him. It is all about “If we are READY to meet Him” in the flash that it can sometimes take to go from here…to there….are our souls in the best possible shape they can be in to leave this human life? Human life is but a mere moment to God. 80 years is a flash compared to eternity.
The ONLY time I see death as a true tragedy is when a parent passes leaving young children. I was never fearful of death prior to becoming a parent and I only fear death now until my children are old enough to live on, as stable individuals & come to understand this concept I am imparting on you today. Human life is but a stepping stone which is why I feel it is such a disservice that the Church no longer STRONGLY & LOUDLY teaches fear of Satan to us all. Since this human life is a mere second of our entire existence & it is only our Earthly life that needs fear Satan (because once we pass in God’s favor and move onto our next destination, Satan no longer needs be a concern to us) and every act & every breath on this Earth moves us closer to our passing, Satan should be a HUGE motivating force in our lives. And by our faith moving away from teaching us this message in fear of losing congregants is wrong. Just because it is a tough message doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be addressed. 9/11 alone should have been an act so dramatic that every God fearing person on the face of the Earth should have been forever changed and re-directed. I guess a few generations ago it was said the same of Hitler yet the lesson never seems to stick.
Nothing, I mean NOTHING should motivate us more than working towards our salvation. If there is a beloved someone in your life who has passed that you absolutely KNOW has gone to Heaven (or even Purgatory…because they have the gift of being saved) than it should be our every waking moments work to try & make it to them again in God’s presence. Nothing else in this world should mean more to us than that. Illness, suffering, death, poverty, loneliness, tragedy….think of the BIG PICTURE….this will ALL pass, it is how we deal with it all on this Earth that matters because THAT is where evil dwells. Think about it. When we suffer we are fragile. Satan awaits the troubled, those in pain, those who are confused...we become easy prey. Think of Satan tempting Christ, Himself when he was alone, troubled and hungry. It is examples like these from God, Himself that are suppose to be our blueprint for our own lives. How many fall away Catholics do you know who left because something horrible happened in their lives and it shook their faith because how could a benevolent God allow this horrible thing to take place? Also, how many fall away Catholics do you know who are abundantly blessed with wealth & a seemingly easy life because there really is no need for God in their lives...they have everything & they probably worked hard to get it. Since everything this person needs or wants is corporeal in nature, they have lost the big picture view that this physical life is only the smallest part of our exsitence. Satan waits for this person too. He waits for them to "forget" about God. That is why I beat my drum so loudly about secularism. It is so VERY dangerous to everyone we love and want to see make it to Heaven.
Most of all, we must all pray for those who have left the faith. Think of these poor souls and there are SO many. So many confused, misled and are caught in the belief of “Being a good person is good enough.” Self religion is so very harmful. Help the ones you love and respect & try your best to bring them home again. In mere moments we will all meet our Maker & secularism and defense of it just isn’t gonna cut it.
Pray, pray and pray some more (especially the Rosary.)
God bless & may 2012 bring you HEALTH and HAPPINESS in God’s light!!!!!
