DEATH, LIFE, LOSS, AND LOVE

Kirsten Shrewsberry, Editor and Diocesan Director of Public Relations

I’M PLANNING A TRIP. I’ve got my travel documents, I’ve checked the size requirements for my medicines and toiletries, I’ve packed extra socks. I know inevitably I’ll forget something – my favorite sweater, a phone charger, but overall, I feel prepared. I know where I’m going, I know how I’m getting there, and I know what I’ll do once I get there.

How often do we find ourselves preparing for what is to come? Packing a lunch the night before school, reviewing before a test, booking a reservation for the weekend – all these are things we do to be prepared for what is to come. There are many things in life that are inevitable and the most obvious being death. What are we doing to prepare for death? What a morbid statement! I know death is a topic we so often shy away from, but sooner or later we’ll all end up there.

In this month’s Catholic Connection we’re talking about death, life, loss, and love. When you think about heaven do you long for it? I think C.S. Lewis said it best when he said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” What a beautiful way to look at this longing for heaven that God placed within each of us.

This month I encourage you – have the difficult conversations with friends and loved ones. Talk about your end of life wishes and ask your loved ones what theirs are. You may live to 100 years old or you may not live past next month, that’s not for us to know, but we can prepare for the trip.