Mini-rant (sorry): Where have the Four Last Things gone?!

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I bought a few weeks ago from our local St. this pocket-sized paperback entitled My Daily Bread. It was written by a Jesuit, Anthony J. Paone, S.J., and first published by the Confraternity of the Precious Blood in 1954. It is small enough to be carried in my back or left pant pocket, and I rarely leave home without it, for when I feel quite alone, needed to stand up to temptations, or just wanted to pass the time while there’re no patients around in the ER 😉 I just take it out and read it, and it never fails to comfort me and give me strength.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow with his relationship in the Lord 👍

One of the greatest helps the book has given me is its insistence on meditating on the “Four Last Things”: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Especially 1) Death can come anytime, 2) when I die, the time of God’s Mercy is over, and rather, I have to face Divine Justice, and 3) if my love of God is not yet strong enough to resist temptation, then my fear of hell should keep me from sinning.

The result of these meditations is that every time I’m tempted, I remember how my medical practice has opened my eyes to the fact that I can really die any moment, no matter how healthy or safe I seem to be at the moment, and that if I fear the wrath or judgment of just my fiance or boss, who holds my “heart” and financial/professional success respectively, then how terrible it must be to face the One who I owe EVERYTHING and explain to Him why I did what He and I know to be wrong!

And this “fear of hell” is very powerful! It has kept me numerous times from falling to my particular weakness of will. And in fact, I can see how it has made me work harder to improve myself and to do my work with more care and empathy.

Yet this focusing on the Four Last Things has been missing in most of the post-Vatican II spiritual books that I’ve read. What gives?! Meditating on these Things can be a life-saver! Why oh why are these Last Things missing in today’s spiritual books! They should be returned! :mad: I think for most Catholics the Last Four Things, thought they know about it and at least intellectually know their importance, are things that have been placed at the back of their minds, probably due to the busy-ness of our lives today, but also because there has been much less emphasis on these Things in spiritual writings and in Mass sermons. If I had been exposed to these kinds of meditations earlier I would have avoided so many troubles!

The emphasis on the Four Last Things should be returned to Catholic consciousness! :knight1: :knight2:
 
nuntym,
It has been a year since I lost my mother. I am the youngest of 11, of those 11 two of us are practicing catholics. My mother had a stroke just about two years ago, we kept her at home with help from some wonderful people until the day she died. My mother had a huge collection of religious books. After the stroke we had to do some modifications in her house to keep her safe from falls. She was always surrounded by books, on her couch, on her end tables, on her night stand ,in her kitchen ,in her bedroom, in her bathroom I think you get the picture. With great care we went through her things and moved a lot of these books into storage. She allowed me to get rid of a lot of her reading materials. but always next to her ,shoved into the cushion on the couch, was a ratty old ziplock bag with some very old books in it. She never allowed me to touch that bag.“leave it where it is” she’d say in a stern voice. Even though mom’s vision was affected by the stroke, those books were NEVER to leave her side. The morning that she died, after the funeral home came to pick up her body, I found that bag and opened it up. In it was three prayer books
My imitation of Christ
Peace through the Blood of His Cross and…
My daily bread
They are well worn from time (and use), I’m assuming they are originals from the year they were printed. Inside the covers of all three books, scribbled in mom’s hand writing was a message for me, with the message underlined many times
Mary, Keep all these prayer books, you’ll need them, use them often. Mom

they now reside on my end table, next to my Christian prayer, no one is allowed to move them. You are correct, meditating on these things is a lifesaver. thanks for reminding me of my Mom today. May God Bless you in infinite ways. Peace
Maryj
 
Yet this focusing on the Four Last Things has been missing in most of the post-Vatican II spiritual books that I’ve read. What gives?! Meditating on these Things can be a life-saver! Why oh why are these Last Things missing in today’s spiritual books! They should be returned!

**I’m not saying that the Four Last Things are not worthy subjects of meditation, but there are many, many others as well.

And actually, there are only THREE Last Things: Heaven and Hell are mutually exclusive.**
 
If you become familiar with The Divine Mercy Way of Life, you will see that Mercy is most important and for us who are living, it is something we can receive in an abundance that is so great as to stagger our imaginations.

St Faustina in explaining God’s mercy pointed out that if we were even to grasp a tiny bit in understanding the extent of God’s mercy and how much he wants to give it to us, that a thousand eternities would not be enough in which to give thanks.

We will all face death, judgment, heaven and hell. Reading her diary, makes one understand only too well that Mercy is for the living and that Justice os for the dead.
Read all you can about this and adopt Divine Mercy as a way of life. It will make facing the last four things , death, judgment, heaven or hell, ever so much easier, especially knowing the promises made by Jesus, for those who follow this way of life.
Prayers & blessings
Deacon Ed B
 
** Reading her diary, makes one understand only too well that Mercy is for the living and that Justice os for the dead. **

I sincerely pray I will have God’s mercy when I die, as well.
 
bpbasilphx said:
Yet this focusing on the Four Last Things has been missing in most of the post-Vatican II spiritual books that I’ve read. What gives?! Meditating on these Things can be a life-saver! Why oh why are these Last Things missing in today’s spiritual books! They should be returned!

**I’m not saying that the Four Last Things are not worthy subjects of meditation, but there are many, many others as well.

And actually, there are only THREE Last Things: Heaven and Hell are mutually exclusive.**
Click to expand...
bpbasilphx, actually if you want to be strict about it, it can be just narrowed down into one Last Thing: Judgement, because everything hinges on that. But traditionally in the Catholic Church, the teachings on the last things are always divided into those Four Things.

And although yes there are other worthy subjects of meditation, even just a precursory study of the history of Catholic teaching (i.e. look at any pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II spiritual book) would show that prior to Vatican II, the Four Last Things were much more emphasized than after Vatican II.

Which is what I am particularly lamenting about.
 
@maryj,

What a moving story. Thank you very much for sharing it. I extend my condolences to you and your family, and I am now praying for her.

@Deacon Ed B

My particular devotion is the Sacred Heart, which I have been brought up into. But I will read on Sister Faustina’s works, thank you for sharing.
 
They are alive and well around here.

The Four Last THings.
nuntym said:
I bought a few weeks ago from our local St. this pocket-sized paperback entitled My Daily Bread. It was written by a Jesuit, Anthony J. Paone, S.J., and first published by the Confraternity of the Precious Blood in 1954. It is small enough to be carried in my back or left pant pocket, and I rarely leave home without it, for when I feel quite alone, needed to stand up to temptations, or just wanted to pass the time while there’re no patients around in the ER 😉 I just take it out and read it, and it never fails to comfort me and give me strength.

I would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow with his relationship in the Lord 👍

One of the greatest helps the book has given me is its insistence on meditating on the “Four Last Things”: Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. Especially 1) Death can come anytime, 2) when I die, the time of God’s Mercy is over, and rather, I have to face Divine Justice, and 3) if my love of God is not yet strong enough to resist temptation, then my fear of hell should keep me from sinning.

The result of these meditations is that every time I’m tempted, I remember how my medical practice has opened my eyes to the fact that I can really die any moment, no matter how healthy or safe I seem to be at the moment, and that if I fear the wrath or judgment of just my fiance or boss, who holds my “heart” and financial/professional success respectively, then how terrible it must be to face the One who I owe EVERYTHING and explain to Him why I did what He and I know to be wrong!

And this “fear of hell” is very powerful! It has kept me numerous times from falling to my particular weakness of will. And in fact, I can see how it has made me work harder to improve myself and to do my work with more care and empathy.

Yet this focusing on the Four Last Things has been missing in most of the post-Vatican II spiritual books that I’ve read. What gives?! Meditating on these Things can be a life-saver! Why oh why are these Last Things missing in today’s spiritual books! They should be returned! :mad: I think for most Catholics the Last Four Things, thought they know about it and at least intellectually know their importance, are things that have been placed at the back of their minds, probably due to the busy-ness of our lives today, but also because there has been much less emphasis on these Things in spiritual writings and in Mass sermons. If I had been exposed to these kinds of meditations earlier I would have avoided so many troubles!

The emphasis on the Four Last Things should be returned to Catholic consciousness! :knight1: :knight2:
Click to expand...
 
maryj said:
nuntym,
It has been a year since I lost my mother. I am the youngest of 11, of those 11 two of us are practicing catholics. My mother had a stroke just about two years ago, we kept her at home with help from some wonderful people until the day she died. My mother had a huge collection of religious books. After the stroke we had to do some modifications in her house to keep her safe from falls. She was always surrounded by books, on her couch, on her end tables, on her night stand ,in her kitchen ,in her bedroom, in her bathroom I think you get the picture. With great care we went through her things and moved a lot of these books into storage. She allowed me to get rid of a lot of her reading materials. but always next to her ,shoved into the cushion on the couch, was a ratty old ziplock bag with some very old books in it. She never allowed me to touch that bag.“leave it where it is” she’d say in a stern voice. Even though mom’s vision was affected by the stroke, those books were NEVER to leave her side. The morning that she died, after the funeral home came to pick up her body, I found that bag and opened it up. In it was three prayer books
My imitation of Christ
Peace through the Blood of His Cross and…
My daily bread
They are well worn from time (and use), I’m assuming they are originals from the year they were printed. Inside the covers of all three books, scribbled in mom’s hand writing was a message for me, with the message underlined many times
Mary, Keep all these prayer books, you’ll need them, use them often. Mom

they now reside on my end table, next to my Christian prayer, no one is allowed to move them. You are correct, meditating on these things is a lifesaver. thanks for reminding me of my Mom today. May God Bless you in infinite ways. Peace
Maryj
Click to expand...
I don’t normally go for these sorts of posts, but this one was really moving.

Thanks for sharing.
 
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