How do you feel about your own death?

[Sirach14]

Teresa9:

Dear friends

Now this could be seen as a morbid subject, but in this case it isn’t!! . If someone has recently lost someone I offer my condolences and prayers and apologise if this post has caused painful memories. In my life I have lost alot of people close to me and I honestly believe that up until the last hours or days people do not ponder their own death in detail. Personally I think we should do this (not the how or where’s of dying) but the fact of dying and is our life in order as we do not KNOW the hour.

As my faith has deepened (I’m perfectly healthy by the way so no imminent reason for my death…thank God) I have reflected on living, dying and the afterlife.

I would love to hear your reflections on this if you feel able to post them as often death is a taboo and difficult subject to reflect upon, though we do reflect on Jesus’ death.

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

Heaven may be my home, but I’m not homesick yet.

 

[jeffreedy789]

i look fwd to putting off this ‘tent’, as paul called it, and going home. i would go today if given the choice.

don’t get me wrong. life is good. God is awesome, and walking with Him through this ‘vale of tears’ often produces tears of joy.

but i’m tired of sin. i’m worn out. i look fwd greatly to the day i’ll see Him face to face.

you know, when i was in college, i almost died. i was driving my car in longview, tx, and i suddenly couldn’t breathe. no reason at all, just couldn’t take in air anymore. i knew i was going to die.

so i started getting out of traffic so that i wouldn’t wreck when i died. and as i did so, i prayed ‘God, i think i need to hang around a little longer. there are too many people i still haven’t told about You yet.’ (i was protestant at the time.) and right then, my throat opened up, and i could breathe again. i didn’t cough, or swallow anything. i could just breathe.

every day since then, i think, has been a kind of ‘extended stay’, as my ‘time’, it seems, has come and gone.

sometimes i use my ‘extra time’ wisely. sometimes (too often) foolishly. but i’m grateful for it. and i’ll be very happy when the next ‘time’ comes.

 

[Sir_Hubert]

I guess I don’t see things like most people. I have witnessed death in my family since I was 4 years old. I saw my father slowly die due to a long illness, and I can only hope I have the strenght to die as well as he did. I recall long days of medical treatment when afterwards he could barely walk. It would take nearly 45 minutes to walk up 12 steps just to get to his bedroom. Through all his pain and suffering the one thing I remember most, was that even on the worst days he never failed to drop to his knees to thank God and pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He had a wooden kneeler next to his bed, and my mother would help him kneel on days when he could barely stand.

So how do I feel about my own death? I realize that I am a sinner and must take up my cross every day to follow Our Lord Jesus Christ. That if I am to truly follow Christ, my life will include not only joy and happiness, but pain and suffering. I will never presume that I am bound for heaven, but will strive each day to be worthy to just to kneel in His Presence at the moment of my death.

I do not fear death, nor dying. My life is in His hands. I pray that I have enough time to prepare my most unworthy soul, but also know that His Mercy is endless, and all I need do is to ask and truly be repentant of my sins. I know that “every last penny will need to be paid”, and that my soul will need to be without sin to be admitted to heaven.

There are many wonderful things in this world, but I would give them all up just for a moment to be with my Lord.

In His Peace!