The truth is . . .

By -
 

 
Today is the anniversary of my dad's death. He died back in 1967 of a heart attack on my grandma's birthday (his mother-in-law). I was less than a month away from turning nine. He was 38.

Death strikes everyone differently, and memories vary depending on age and circumstances.

I knew he died young, but now that I am past the age of his death, I can really appreciate just how young he was. Now that I think about it, he was just a few years older than Jesus was when he died.

Whenever one's earthly existence ends, it leaves a hole. I often ponder how some people make such a huge impact, like St. Teresa of Calcutta, and others leave behind memories for their immediate family, rather than the entire world.

But when I think about it, as in my dad's case, their children and their children's children become their quiet legacy. So you could say they do, in fact, make a huge impact on the world for generations to come.

The truth is, it really doesn't matter if you are a world renown saint, a young father of four, or are without children, you still impact the world. You can't go through life and not make some difference.

It really isn't about the splash we make in this world or the notoriety we gain that we should be most concerned about. In the end, all we really need to do is leave a legacy of love and forgiveness, hope and faith.

The challenge, of course, is putting all of these into action. It's nice to talk about love, but unless it is concretized in our actions, it's just a nice idea.

How well do we take care of the poor, the lonely and the suffering? How do I treat those who are unkind, mean, or just plain unfriendly?

As I am thinking about my dad today, why don't we address a need we see around us right now, in honor of those who have gone before us?

Go ahead, dare to make the world a better place today. Love somebody.

Janet Cassidy
BLOG: janetcassidy.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/reflectionsinfaith/

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

By -
Image
This is the image most often associated with the writings of the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit. She promoted devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. During my preparation for the retreat I am giving at the end of the month in Pantasaph, North Wales, I began reading a book by the late John Haffert (once the lay leader of the Blue Army of Fatima). His theory in the book, which speaks of God's "last effort" to convert the world before the coming chastisement, is that we are now living in the third or fourth "day" of the Fatima week. At this time, according to Haffert, we should be promoting devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also consulted another book by Dr. Courtnay Bartholomew (whom I have been privileged to meet) which also speaks of the importance of this devotion, linking it with the writings and visions of the mystic Berthe Petit, and the importance of the full title of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. These things will feature in
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more