18th February Friday of the Sixth week in Ordinary Time
Office of the Dead
Community Mass was offered for the Monthly Memorial of deceased Brethren, Relatives, Associates and friends.
It was appropriate to mark the Month Mind of Franciscan Missionary of Mary, Sr. Mary Hynland. R.I.P.
Acknowledgement to Vincent Toal, Editor
Night Office Reading A Commentary on Death in the Psalms
by Fr Charles Callan.
- All must finally die, rich and poor; high and low; strong and weak. At its best the longest earthly life is but a breath, and to people, worldly in the wrong sense, death can be a palling and chilling thought. Unless it is banished from the mind, it can cloud every bright prospect, sadden every joy, weigh down the strongest heart with gloomy foreboding. It is the certainty and finality of death that make it awful. Life is soon over, and the dead return no more. (p. 205 edit)
- To righteous and godly people, however, the state of the case is different. From the sleep of death, they wake up to everlasting enjoyment. From the darkness of the grave they come forth into eternal morning light. There is a streaming glory ahead, waiting upon the incident of temporal death, which the psalms only glimpse partially and dimly, but really, growing out of the felt certainty that communion and fellowship with God in this life, cannot be interrupted hereafter. (p. 206 edit)
- Note therefore the advantage of the good Christian who knows, that for him, death is the gateway to life; to real abundant, overflowing eternal life. He is willing, to stay, but, only as long as God wants him to stay, as long as he can add to the glory of his heavenly Father, the sanctification of his own soul, and the good of his neighbour. … Apart from such motives and purposes, the present life and world have no strong hold on the true Christian who knows that he was made for, and even yearns for, better things. (p. 119 edit)
The Psalms, Charles Callan OP, 1944
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