The Fifth Meditation: On Death


13: “The Fifth Meditation: On Death”

Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist is the single best way in which we can directly feel the eternal and perfect Love of Jesus Christ. All forms of Love in this world contain a echo of His eternal Love, but we always should seek to encounter Him. (photo P. Smith)

                De Sales emphasizes, “Only one thing is certain: we will dies, and sooner than we think.” Things of this world are fleeting and unimportant to the eternal self. This is not to say that we should ignore material needs in our present state or, worse, ignore the material suffering of others. But we should not fixate on those material things. After all, we cannot the eternal or Heavenly self is not attached to material things like wealth, fame, pleasure, or power. As a teacher I have to remind myself that I cannot fixate on the grades that my students make. I need to help my students to know that the one thing that defines them is the eternal Love of God… not grades or sports or fashion or anything like that. Teachers often say to me: “Tell the students’ parents that!” Okay. I do. Parents are, after all, the first teachers of our students. Parents need Faith Formation as much as students and teachers.

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