death

Retired Pope Benedict XVI, who had an impressive record as a teacher and defender of the basics of the Catholic faith, died Dec. 31 at the age of 95, nearly 10 years after leaving the papacy to retire to a life of prayer and study.

“When we suffer the death of a beloved person, can we also live in a small way the commandment: ‘Do this in memory of me’? Give all, give your blood, your flesh, in releasing this person you love and long to hold onto, letting only God hold your beloved.”

“There is a sobering beauty to the funeral Mass and the ritual procession to the gravesite. There is a wisdom to gathering in the church hall for casseroles and remembrances.”

Despite this troubled perspective, the new book holds out a measure of hope and redemption for those who consider that there just may be an ultimate purpose to human existence.

As both a medical doctor and a Dominican brother studying for the priesthood, Brother Columba Thomas is an appropriate guide to this new annotation of the 15th-century text, “Ars moriendi” (“The Art of Dying”).

“We can take comfort in the knowledge that our loved one’s death, and even our own someday, is far from the final moment we will have.”

The bishops made the call in an Easter pastoral letter, released April 11 after they met in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, to prepare for the visit set for July 5-7 under the theme, “May all be one.”

The working group urged India “to ensure a full and independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the arbitrary deprivation of liberty of Father Swamy and to take appropriate measures against those responsible for the violation of his rights.”