Tag Archives: death

The Passing of Pope Francis.

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The Vatican

I have a bad habit of waking up very early in the morning; 5:00 AM, early in the morning! I usually cannot fall back asleep, so I looked at my IPhone, and saw the bulletins, announcing the passing of Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church. Now, I am a skeptic of such “news” that comes over the Web. So I turned on the TV, and sadly saw that it was true.

It was a bit of a shock, because earlier there were scenes of a weakened Pope Francis waving to the crowds. There was hope that he would have survived this bout of illness. It was not to be.

Pope Francis, in my mind, and it will be my hope; will be remembered as a unique and holy father of the Church. He will definitely be missed.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him! Through the mercy of God, may he rest in peace.

Terror Strikes Again!

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pray for parisMy wife and I do not turn on the TV much during the day.  When I do, I am usually watching TV reruns, until it is time for the evening news.  So yesterday, I was shocked when I saw the breaking news on WCVB TV, Channel 5, about the terrorist attacks throughout the city of Paris, France.

I know the scientific research is out there explaining it, but I still cannot understand why a human person can inflict so much pain, so much suffering, on another person.  How individuals can turn the great religions of humanity, faiths that teach peace, tolerance, charity, and mercy; and use them as the reason for slaughtering so many innocent men, women, children, and themselves!

In the face of so much evil, so much suffering, so much death; you cannot blame someone losing their faith in a merciful God.  As bad as things are in the world, as much as I may, at times, give in to despair; I cannot abandon my faith in God, nor my love for my Creator.  The Father sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to show us the path to true peace.  God the Son, came into the world, so that by his death and Resurrection, we are freed from the fear of suffering and death.  That does not mean that we will not encounter suffering.  That does not mean we will not continue to experience death, of loved ones, and our own.  But God has shown us that there is a sunrise to defeat the darkness, that life, transformed and glorified, does exist.  That there is hope.

“The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.  They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.  But they are in peace.” (Wisdom 3: 1-3)