Watch Mary Rose and Father Illo discuss this topic
Twenty-Five years ago my bishop gave us priests a deadline: “By March 15, I want your funeral plan on my desk. I’m tired of you guys dying without telling me how you want to be buried!” My friends and I were in our thirties and certainly thought we had better ways to spend our time than planning our own funerals. Nobody wanted to think about our own personal “D-Day.” I procrastinated for a few months but finally bit the bullet and planned my own funeral, including my last will and testament, and threw in some advanced health care directives for good measure. I stuffed it all into a large manila envelope and took it down to the local post office. Dropping that package in the mail felt very good. I realized that I was a free man. I was packed and ready to go. I had no more worries about life or death, and I was in God’s hands.
I highly recommend planning your own funeral, writing your will, and stating your advance health care directives now. Your funeral is really the only thing between you and heaven. I have noticed that those who avoid thinking about their own death live with a kind of nameless but dark apprehension: how long do I have left? How will I die? What will happen after I die? On the other hand, those who have bravely made friends with “sister death” (in St. Francis’ disarming words) are freed from those fears. They’ve looked death in the face and stared it down. Those who have surrendered themselves to God “have already died with Christ,” St. Paul says in Romans 6:8. Death no longer frightens them.
In two months I’m leading a group to France for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944. We will visit many holy places, such as Notre Dame Cathedral and the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal in Paris, the Carmelite convent and basilica of St. Thérèse in Lisieux, and the great monastery of Le Mont Saint Michel. But we will also spend three days at the Normandy beaches of Omaha and Utah, and we will pray at the vast military cemeteries behind those beaches. Most of these men feared death as their troop ships approached the German lines, but they had already written farewell letters to their families and given their wills to the military superiors. Most believed in God and His ultimate care for them, and they were ready to die. For that reason, the beaches and cemeteries are worthy of Christian pilgrimage.
Most of us will not die as they died, but all of us will die. Once we’ve planned our own funerals, we have only to look forward to the resurrection.
From Father Illo’s Blog
Dang, I wish I knew about this earlier. My mom was born 2 days before D-day and a pilgrimage to Normandy with a group of solid Catholics would have been the perfect 80th bday present for her!
If you watch the footage from the riots at UCLA, you’ll realize we’re pretty close to civil war here in the US.
Police did not intervene.
You are on your own. Make your plans. Civil War II.
The student riots are very serious. In the 1960s, I felt strongly that the extremely immature, filthy, violent hippie student rioters all should be permanently expelled from school, jailed, put on the FBI’s subversive terrorist lists, and never be allowed to return to school. The misfit, filthy, violent, extremely destructive, deviant kids at UC Berkeley had been especially horrid, with their babyish “Free Speech Movement” garbage. (I call it, “Abuse of the Privilege and Responsibility of Free Speech”) I thought that they all should shut up and be thankful for the privilege of a good education– and study hard, graduate, and offer what they learned to society, as good and decent adults. If you can’t do that– you are not “ready for school”– not even ready for kindergarten! Violent misfit gangs of kids cannot take over a school, or a city, or a nation– and think they can be in charge– like militant, revolutionary criminals! If you see an injustice in society, act like a proper adult, and learn how to properly deal with social problems, and try to work on fixing problems, by our American political system. Lobbying in Congress, introducing bills, writing articles, giving speeches, etc., is the right way to do things. Many famous Catholic and Protestant clerics, and outstanding, devout laymen, too, throughout history, have done great good, and have tackled serious social injustices in the right way, successfully, too– setting a fine example to follow. Well– I noticed that Bishop Sheen had spoken and reminded us that Americans have the right to freely assemble and express their beliefs. To be an American is a great privilege! Sheen had previously written some great books and given some great speeches on that subject. But these terrible, subversive student protestors were not good Americans, and had gone way too far. They needed to be stopped and punished! What would Bishop Sheen recommend, to end this senseless student protest violence? As for the violent anti-war demonstrators– even Conscientious Objectors who are devout Christians of all denominations, typically will bravely volunteer to serve their country in the medics, or similar, if they are called to military service– regardless of whether they “agree” with a war. And all military chaplains serve, too, and help the servicemen– some even die, while helping the troops, and become saints! Fr. Vincent Capodanno, a famous, heroic military chaplain, killed in 1967, in Vietnam, has a Sainthood cause (currently paused at the Vatican, which is upsetting to many supporters– for sensitive Vatican political reasons, due to the tragic Russian invasion of Ukraine, etc.) Hopefully, this sickening student pro-Hamas, anti-Semitic rioting garbage, will somehow soon be brought to an end.
Guess you did not live in the 1960s.
No, I was busy with a music degree and performing, and directed a small choral group at my church. How about you?
Then you know that a “sit-in” is not a civil war.
That depends. Many “sit-ins” have grown into savage civil wars! Remember police being forced to intervene in sit-ins at UC Berkeley, in the 1960s– where the kids turned into ignorant, violent, savage, “worse-than-animals” — ending up in horrifically destructive, dangerous, violent student riots? The political actions of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and of many courageous pro lifers, including many who are wrongfully, currently in prison– were peaceful, noble, serving God, out of love, seeking God’s true Justice, for God’s poor, suffering, persecuted Black people, and God’s poor, unwanted, murdered unborn children.
No I remember the police being violent and eventually the Ohio National Guard opening fire on some students who were not protesting in a parking lot.
Those kids were horrible, at Ohio State. The National Guard was called in because of that. So, tragedy occurred. The kids refused to listen to them. Smart-alecks. Too young.
Actually, it was Kent Srate University, in Ohio, in 1970, where the tragedy occurred. It was all over the news. It may happen again, if rebellious, anti-Semitic brats refuse to listen, and won’t obey police and university officials.
Rogue National Guardsman shot those students. They were not ordered to do so.
So yes, I guess it could happen again.
I amend – in the 2000s an audio was found which may contain an order to shoot.
The kids were totally out-of-control. They destroyed property on campus and in town, and burned down the ROTC building. The university officials and Guardsmen tried to tell them to disperse
and go home. But the kids refused. No doubt, the Guardsmen did not mean to kill anyone– but they tried hard to control the horrible kids. That is what happens, when horrible kids will not listen, big “know-it-alls,” who are too big for their britches, in a very dangerous situation– acting “worse than animals,” on a wild rampage, for weeks and weeks– and refuse to stop. It may happen again, with the violent, anti-Semitic juvenile delinquents on college campuses. Same thing, with the shameful Jan. 6th riots at the Capitol building, in 2021.
There has been no civil war in the United States of America since 1865.
Yes, we do have a kind of Civil War! We have a Culture of Death war to fight! God vs. Satan.
A spiritual war is not a civil war.
Yes, we do have a kind of Civil War going on in America– basically, it is God vs. the Devil. Even pro-Hamas, pro-Palestinians, loudly proclaiming, “Death to America, kill all the Jews.” They are Satanic. Good Americans who are Pro Lifers, Pro Traditional (one/one woman ) Biblically-based Marriage, and Christian Morality– are all being severely persecuted by those bad Americans, like bad Catholic Pres. Joe Biden (etc.) who reject Christ and His teachings, and seek to enact evil laws, against God, in support of abortion, birth control, IVF, surrogacy, gay “marriage” and adoptions, refusal of adoptions to Christian parents, transgender medicines, surgeries and identities, transgenders mandated to be allowed on girls’ sports teams and in girls’ locker rooms, sex-ed, LGBT and transgender ideologies, drag queens, and pornography in schools. And Biden has been trying to mandate that all hospitals ERs (including Christian and Catholic) must routinely perform abortions, as in cases of “emergencies,” if a woman requests one. Christians must all fight this evil Civil War– a religious and cultural war– and win, for Jesus Christ. Put on the “armour of Christ,” and go to battle.
UC Berekeky was correct in its rules in 1964, prohibiting political activities on campus. Students are there to learn. They should take their studies seriously. An education is a great privilege– and very costly, too! Once you graduate and become an adult, then you can get involved helping others in charity work, and good political action, conducted correctly, and find intelligent and effective ways to try to fix society’s problems. Our Constitutional rights to freedom of speech should be respected and understood in a serious, mature manner. Learn from a good Civics teacher at your school! How do you correctly voice your opinions? If you are against the war in Vietnam or the situation with Israel-Hamas– what is the intelligent and right thing to do? How about contacting your Congressman or Senator, for starters? You can also join a legitimate lobbying group in Congress. Etc. In school, you can join a Debate Club, and also take classes to further your knowledge of subjects that interest you, that are current events. You can even, if talented– get a Ph.D. and write a dissertation, and publish it as a book, about your concerns!
Many of the college kid protestors, since the 1960s, have been outside , anti-American, anti-Christian, Marxist-type, paid agitators, seeking to destroy our country. They brainwash dumb kids in their sick and dangerous, radical leftist ideologies.
Excellent interview! Thanks! D-Day was the largest seaborne invasion in history. 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day, including 2,501 Americans. 73,000 Allied troops died in the ensuing Battle of Normandy. On June 6, 1944, just before 10pm Eastern time, President Roosevelt gave a famous national radio address at the White House, in which he offered a beautiful prayer for the D-Day troops, which he personally wrote. Copies of his prayer were released prior to the broadcast, so that all Americans could join with the President in saying the prayer. An estimated 100 million Americans and others, worldwide, listened to the broadcast. It is noted as the largest mass moment of prayer in history. Here is a link to the famous broadcast: https://youtu.be/a2IRcc-5RgA?si=JENIekvIPf8mpiWT
I was thinking of an interesting post some time ago, written by Anne TE, about a mysterious serviceman who left on a train… and who may have been her father. Could he have been leaving for Europe– to fight in D-Day? That would be a fascinating story!
In 1952, Congress declared the first Thursday in May to be the annual National Day of Prayer in our country. Tomorrow, May 2nd, will be this year’s National Day of Prayer. Wonder what Pres. Joe Biden vwill do, to celebrate it? Biden is a bad Catholic, and needs to repent of sin.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2024/05/01/a-proclamation-on-national-day-of-prayer-2024/
Excellent! Thanks for the link! Unfortunately, “King” Joe Biden has been wrongfully misusing his Presidential powers to harm and destroy Christianity and morality, and prevent Catholics and all Christians from freely practicing their faith. Doctors, nurses, teachers and parents are all being tragically harmed, by the Biden Administration’s demands for abortions, transgender mutilations of children, openly supporting gay sex and gay “marriage,” demanding sex-ed and LGBT instruction and pornography in school curriculums, allowing boys who are transgenders, pretending to be girls, in school and college p.e. locker rooms and athletic competitions, wrongly persecuting and falsely labeling good, decent Christian parents fighting iimmorality in the schools as “terrorists,” openly rejecting his Church’s sacred teachings. Biden has been waging an evil war against Christianity, and all religion and morality in America.
The UCLA riots and elsewhere at other colleges show the utter inability and incompetence of leftists to govern. University administrators don’t know how to handle their authority when people break the law. Their response, as has been the response of George Soros backed Democrat district attorneys and governors, has been to let it all happen. So now we have rampant crime, theft, vandalism, squatting, illegal border crossing, election tampering, and society is breaking up. Yes, prepare your will, but prepare to defend your family against lawless thugs. This is all making the Rodney King riots of the 1990s look like a kindergarten class.
Great post! I agree! All of this idiocy, ignorant rebellion and violence, should all have been ended, long ago, when it started, in the 1960s– ruining our country.. I am so sorry for any excellent professors, who have tried to teach and educate students, amidst this horrific mess! Their teaching jobs– very important for the students in our country– have been unfairly, severely undermined!
Many brainwashed radical liberal leftist high school and college kids today, have the potential to be extremely violent, just like their lawless, violent 1960s predecessors– who frequently destroyed university property, with no moral conscience, and burned down whole city blocks and neighborhoods near their schools, with their violent, evil, anti-war protests. The situation is very, very dangerous! These lawless, smart-aleck, liberal, radical kids are really extremely dangerous, with their babyish demands– – and will listen to no one. They ought to be locked up! They refuse to listen to university officials and the police. They threaten people with death threats— and destroy property, everywhere. They are criminals who respect no one. They have been allowed to turn a college campus into a war zone!
In today’s situation, I fear for the safety of innocent Jewish students, and innocent pro lifers who give presentations on college campuses, such as Kristan Hawkins and her Students for Life of America. They have been viciously attacked at universities, many, many times. And poor Riley Gaines, who had her rightful swimming trophy stolen by Lia Thomas— a boy swimmer pretending to be a girl— always faces horrific violence, when giving a presentstion. This is so totally wrong! This is not free speech at all– it is senseless, criminal violence! These kids need to be locked up– and receive stern punishments, and have many privileges taken away, for life. They should be banned from enrolling at or entering any school or university campus. They really are insane, radical leftist terrorists, trying to threaten, hijack and destroy our country! Strong action must be taken, ASAP, to totally end this terrible situation. Maybe these terrible, fancy schools, like UCLA, Columbia University, etc., should all close down– and reimburse the poor Jewish students their tuition, books, and etc. that they spent, with letters of apology.