Beloved in Christ,
"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? Father, save me from this hour? (Jn 12: 27). Jesus, in this quoted verse, reveals to us his human tribulation at the thought of impending suffering and death. He was troubled at the approaching hour of his death and glorification. I was indeed troubled this past week when I got the sad news that a dear friend, Michael Culbertson, had died on the morning of March 12. His death troubled me for several reasons: he suffered from the pains of cancer for a long time, and I did not get to see or talk with him in his last days. I felt so pained because it was not too long ago that he lost his wife, Savi, also a very dear friend. Michael's death stunned me more than I expected, but the Holy Spirit, the comforter, soon made it clear to me that Michael's date was not a waste, and it was part of God's plan for him. He died in Christ, and he followed in the path of Christ: "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me" (Jn 12: 26).
Following the death of Michael, as I grief and meditate on his life and impact on my life, and as I prepare for this week's homily on Christ's words regarding the approaching hour of his death and glorification, I have actively come to see Michael's death in light of Christ's death by crucifixion. Christ says, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life" (Jn 12: 24-25). Michael's death has already begun to bear fruit.
I have become more materially and spiritually aware of the importance of dying in Christ, of following in the path of Jesus. The importance of reflection and reading about death in Christ has deepened in me since the passing of Michael. I have gone over and over sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the passion and death of Christ. I have also read some other materials on the necessity and gains of losses. God's will and submission to his will are the most productive things when it is the hour appointed by God. It was Jesus' hour, just as it was Michael's, so it was okay. I have concluded. The most important thing is to be in Christ and die in Christ. To die at the appointed hour is part of the rhythm of human life. What may look like a loss is a gain in some ramifications for those who follow the way of Christ. As an anonymous author wrote: "Die before you die, so that when you die, you won't die." The death of a Christian seen in the light of the death of Christ gives a new perspective on the pain of loss.
Let me conclude with a paragraph from the Catechism on the meaning of Christian death through the prism of Christ's death. Death is transformed and given a meaningful and productive meaning: "By his death he has conquered death, and has opened the possibility of salvation for all men" (CCC 1019).
Despite all I have said about the death of Christ and my friend, Michael, let's be joyful on this Sunday, St. Patrick's Day! Sunday is a joyful day, a proper day, even during Lent, to relax the Lenten penance and have a glass of Guinness. I will treat myself to one today. Do not forget to celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Tuesday by attending mass and praying especially to St. Joseph, patron of a happy death. We shed our violet vestment for white at that mass and sing Gloria. Also, remember that next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Let's intensify our Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we draw closer to the end of the conversion, purification and renewal season.
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? Father, save me from this hour? (Jn 12: 27). Jesus, in this quoted verse, reveals to us his human tribulation at the thought of impending suffering and death. He was troubled at the approaching hour of his death and glorification. I was indeed troubled this past week when I got the sad news that a dear friend, Michael Culbertson, had died on the morning of March 12. His death troubled me for several reasons: he suffered from the pains of cancer for a long time, and I did not get to see or talk with him in his last days. I felt so pained because it was not too long ago that he lost his wife, Savi, also a very dear friend. Michael's death stunned me more than I expected, but the Holy Spirit, the comforter, soon made it clear to me that Michael's date was not a waste, and it was part of God's plan for him. He died in Christ, and he followed in the path of Christ: "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me" (Jn 12: 26).
Following the death of Michael, as I grief and meditate on his life and impact on my life, and as I prepare for this week's homily on Christ's words regarding the approaching hour of his death and glorification, I have actively come to see Michael's death in light of Christ's death by crucifixion. Christ says, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat, but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life" (Jn 12: 24-25). Michael's death has already begun to bear fruit.
I have become more materially and spiritually aware of the importance of dying in Christ, of following in the path of Jesus. The importance of reflection and reading about death in Christ has deepened in me since the passing of Michael. I have gone over and over sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the passion and death of Christ. I have also read some other materials on the necessity and gains of losses. God's will and submission to his will are the most productive things when it is the hour appointed by God. It was Jesus' hour, just as it was Michael's, so it was okay. I have concluded. The most important thing is to be in Christ and die in Christ. To die at the appointed hour is part of the rhythm of human life. What may look like a loss is a gain in some ramifications for those who follow the way of Christ. As an anonymous author wrote: "Die before you die, so that when you die, you won't die." The death of a Christian seen in the light of the death of Christ gives a new perspective on the pain of loss.
Let me conclude with a paragraph from the Catechism on the meaning of Christian death through the prism of Christ's death. Death is transformed and given a meaningful and productive meaning: "By his death he has conquered death, and has opened the possibility of salvation for all men" (CCC 1019).
Despite all I have said about the death of Christ and my friend, Michael, let's be joyful on this Sunday, St. Patrick's Day! Sunday is a joyful day, a proper day, even during Lent, to relax the Lenten penance and have a glass of Guinness. I will treat myself to one today. Do not forget to celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Tuesday by attending mass and praying especially to St. Joseph, patron of a happy death. We shed our violet vestment for white at that mass and sing Gloria. Also, remember that next Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Let's intensify our Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as we draw closer to the end of the conversion, purification and renewal season.
In Christ,
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
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