ERNIE E. MAIPID, JR.
The last weeks have been heavy! People getting sick and dying by the litter. And they are all among our social circles: people we know, people we interact with, people we either influence or who influence us. Death has been striking near home! We dread it will knock next on our door.
The other day, a cousin of my wife died, not of the virus, but cancer. That same evening, we learned of a good friend, a pediatrician in her 70’s finally landing a room in the hospital where she works. She waited for three days for this space, in her Covid state. Yesterday, as we paged the directory for a pulmonologist to help a close relative, we ventured into contacting a friend of our younger years, now in his early 60’s. We were so confident in our referral, only to find out that the last months have been a personal challenge. He was discovered with lung cancer and was going through chemotherapy and radiation. In the evening, just before bed, a Viber message announced the death of a couple -friends’ eldest son, an adult of 40, from a long-standing illness.
And today, after a hearty lunch celebrating our ‘kasambahay’s (housemaid) birthday, we learn of the death of a youth barkada (gang), our contemporary, succumbing to Covid! When will this race stop? Could it be curtain call time for me too? My heart cries out, ‘Why Lord?’
During these times, when even as we choose to be quiet, reasons seem not to assuage, as questions ring ear-to-ear, ‘What is this all about?’
Death! Not so long ago, there was a time for dying. Years rolled in between, affording the bereaved time to grieve. Never was there this seeming rush that people, so laden with heavy hearts, would go through the piercing pain of grief, ‘robotized,’ solitarily. There can perhaps be no lonelier moment!
The banners of faith seem to unfurl most visibly during these times. Had faith not taught us, even while in grade school religion, to prepare for death as it ‘comes like a thief in the night’? We then even memorized what the priest ashing our forehead at the beginning of Lent would say: ‘Remember man that you are dust, and unto dust, you will return.’ The words rang clearly in my ears all these years.
I even recall lines from the renowned Shakespeare: ‘Out, out brief candle. Life is but a walking shadow. The poor player struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more.’ Hopefully we are able, even to remember, having visited the graves of our grandparents. We are ourselves in the shoes of their years today, and we know, none of our children know them, unless we have stories to tell. Our fate will be no different. Time will come, when memories of our imprints today will be ‘heard no more’!
The Easter message still rings loudly in our ears: CHRIST CONQUERED DEATH BY HIS RESURRECTION. And by that, there is HOPE, a Resurrection of the Dead, we can look forward to at the end of time.
We hold on to Jesus’ Promise, born by our FAITH and continue living……GIVING LOVE OUR BEST SHOT. As we look forward to DYING GRATEFUL, because LIFE IS HIS GIFT, life is GRACE!
Surviving these times is tough. BLESSED are we for Bearing Faith! LET US CLING TO IT.
Amen, beautiful, deep and full of the Holy Spirit who dwells amongst us.
Very true! Life is a gift! Our God Almighty knows when our earthly life will end to join HIM in heaven, the final destination. Our journey has twist and turns, crossroads and humps. However our loving and merciful GOD showers us with blessings daily and HE let us feel HIS love through our family and friends. Let us always trust in HIm . Thank you for sharing your thoughts .
It is our faith in theLord that will helpus overcome the uncerrain future.
With Jesus in our life, death is not to be feared. It becomes a passing on to a life without end. To the promise of eternal joy and peace. Be with us Lord each day as we strive to follow you.
Many of us have lost family and friends from this one and a half year pandemic. While most of us hold on trusting in the will of Our Lord we cannot seem to stop a gnawing fear of losing more loved ones this year. We keep believing that there is a purpose in everything that He allows to happen. So be it.
What a beautiful reminder about FAITH. When death, uncertainties and challenges struck us, we can always go back to God’s promise of a new day. A day filled w His mercy and infinite love for all of us.
My dear Ernie, my comments to your nice article on Covid deaths… as you asked me to.
For me, death comes to all of us, sooner or later & at times very unexpectedly…
This reality, for us who try to truly love God should propel us to make good use of our allotted time on earth to love God and neighbor…
Covid as Pope Francis would remind us, is a call from God for all to examine ourselves & change for the better… both individually & society
From this we welcome death, anytime, anyways, anywhere God in His fatherly wisdom & loving providence wishes to call us to Heaven
And you will say in reply, when did i see you hungry and gave you food? when did i see you thirsty and gave you something to drink? When you did these to the least of your brethrens you did it to me.
God bless everyone.
THANK YOU TITO ERNIE.
STAY SAFE. STAY HOME. STAY ALIVE.
MANDING
The best gift of God to human being is life. Life is too precious. We enjoy the fullness of life when we use this very life to touch and change other people’s lives. But this life will end , no one knows the beginning and end of this life. Only God knows our time to return the life God gave us. The end of our life will commence in the most dreaded part of our lives the Phenomenon called DEATH. Death for many is the end of everything but death is the way God designed for us to crossover from our mortal life to the most important gift to us ” THE ETERNAL LIFE “, For us Christians we firmly believe that if we are born in Christ, lived in Christ, died in Christ we also rise in Christ in God’s time.
Life is a gift and so is death. Let us live the way In accordance with the will of God. Enjoy the fullness of life during our earthly pilgrimage and journey in preparation for the most awaited time of Judgement and we pray that when that time comes , the Lord will say” COME TO THE MY GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, CELEBRATE WITH ME IN THE BANQUET I HAVE PREPARED FOR YOU AND ETERNALLY LIVE WITH ME IN THE PLACE I HAVE PREPARED FOR YOU.”
As Christians we must be always prepared for our appointed time. When that time comes Jesus will say you passed the test because YOU FED ME WHEN I WAS HUNGRY, YOU GAVE ME WATER WHEN I WAS THIRSTY, YOU CLOTHE ME WHEN I WAS NAKED, YOU WELCOMED ME AS A STRANGER IN YOUR HOME, I WAS SICK, YOU CARED FOR ME; I WAS IMPRISONED YOU VISITED ME
In His image. This is what rings clearly to me – in His image. That if the brightest example of creation is Christ, then the message of the resurrection is not for Christ alone, but by Christ to all of us. Death will bring much fear until a deep sense of resurrection resonates to us.
Thanks for sharing Ernie your profound heartfelt reflection on a topic that most people avoid talking about. I don’t think about the end of my life nor have a fear of it. If it comes like a thief in the night, my life is for the taking without resistance – like my earthly possessions which have no value to me beyond this lifetime. But I am grateful and I value every moment of each day I wake up that I can talk, I can walk, that I can work to make a difference in every little way I can to make other lives better and happier – to feel the exhileration and tingling passion of every expression of kindness. Why worry about my life when I no longer own it?
Change is permanent. Everything is in constant movement. Energy is never lost; only changed. The life process is a cumulative event. Everything is new and nothing is lost. In Death, Life is not Lost, only Changed!
In the words of a Bogotan priest, ‘The Resurrection is an explosion of consciousness, of ongoing change!’
Jesus told us that life is not permanent and that He has prepared a room for each of us when we die. Let us just pray for His strength and for each other. We are friends here and will remain friends even after.
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