Dear Pani Rose...

From the little I do know of these things you are very right.

My wife is a sweet heart - and as things would have it - when people have died in our family - somehow it was always Cathy who was there at the very moment of their death - holding their hand. Easing them ‘over’. Many times, as coincidence would work it out, it would just be her and the person dying because for some reason anyone else who was there would take just that moment to leave the room for some reason. She is not pleased at this but I told her that she was not there - for herself. She was there because God considered her the ‘best person for the job’. A kind of ‘compassionate mediator’ between the person and the fear of the unknown frontier of death.

God would ‘ease them over’ himself but to reveal himself to them can be a shock - and they do know him well as Providence. So what he does is to select someone to be his human nature - someone the dying person will accept - someone in whom He knows that this person will allow Him to use their hands, their words, their human presents - to convey his own. Someone in whom he has very little trouble acting. Someone who is transparent for him.

You are indeed an apple of God’s eye that he would use you this way - His knowing that your faith would not falter or fail. If he would have told you about it before hand you would have refused him. But when it was already upon you he sent his little ways of surrounding you with signs of his supporting you that only you would notice. You need not have consciously known at the time - but they would have done in you what was intended.

Now <smile> just tell Him that “next time you can pick someone else” <smile> He has a sense of humor - he created me.

I will see you in heaven Pani Rose. Where all that He has done will be made clear to us and we shall marvel at His -always- tender compassion. Please mention me in your prayers.

-ray

Dear Pani Rose and Ray,

How wonderful and uplifting to hear the two of you share your faith! The gifts of the Holy Spirit are very evident in your writing! Ray, your wife must be very special indeed, for it takes a person who is not afraid of death to truly console the dying. Only those of deep prayer are unafraid of death, and can even say they look forward to it, in Christ, that is.

marvelling at the grace of Our Lord, Tammy

Rose,

I have to admit to being intially VERY skeptical of the massage therapy. For that matter, I still have some nagging questions, but I can't argue with the results. Today was my last session, and I couldn't be more happy with the fantastic job that the therapist did.

I look forward to your e-mail.

I just received this link to a news article about a convert to the Church from the Jehovah's Witnesses:

http://www.wisinfo.com/sheboyganpress/news/archive/feat_15995880.shtml

This person will be on the "Journey Home" program on EWTN this week. Should be an interesting program.

Thanks Dave,

A good article.

We make a point of watching Journey Home every week, so I will be looking forward to hearing his story.

Pani Rose

Just started putting an article online entitled:

A Catholic Critique of Jehovah\'s Witnesses

It's from a booklet which has been out of print for quite awhile but is a good presentation on the subject.

It's not completed and more will be added later.

Just a note...the article on JWs is now completed.