Very much the better

Christ will be glorified in my body, whether by my life or by my death. Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me something more; but then again, if living in this body means doing work which is having good results – I do not know what I should choose. I am caught in this dilemma: I want to be gone and be with Christ, which would be very much the better, but for me to stay alive in this body is a more urgent need for your sake.

Avoid anything in your everyday lives that would be unworthy of the gospel of Christ.

Philippians 1:20 – 24, 27

My mother Hinetapora inherited her Catholicism and the deposit of faith. It was a faith that was often tested. My father Angus’ desire for a large family was not necessarily welcomed by Hinetapora, for her the pregnancies were taking a toll of her body and the demands of a large family and their needs meant working outside the home, making ends meet. Humanae Vitae in 1968 impacted firmly on Mum. Paul VI’s encyclical meant – in short – that more pregnancies would ensue, and they did.

My father’s faith in the Church was immovable, my mother’s dented and bruised. The illness that followed these pregnancies meant consulting both physician and priest. And for my mother’s sake and life, she chose life – which meant no further children would be born. That, and the struggle of so many in post-Vatican II, meant that she nurtured her faith in her heart, and while it was not until her last years that her confidence grew and she returned to regular church-going, for her it was a new church, a reinvigorated church and she sought the nourishment of the Sacraments and Word of God to sustain her. In short, she held to the same and one faith – but it was the church which caught up to her. Her reception of the Anointing of the Sick and Communion in the days before her death was uplifting.

Her faith was practical, one she implemented each day. She enriched it with the Rosary said by heart and prayers for her many offspring. It was in what she did for others that she made a difference. Faith makes that difference.

Most of you would have similar stories, or at least stories where at life’s end, there is an openness to death, a welcoming, even a desiring of the inevitable. The fear of death no longer holds sway. For we whose bodies can still work to bring about “good results” for the Kingdom, we are urgently needed right here and now. For those who have lived full and long lives, letting go of this life means choosing something “very much the better”.

The Johnny-come-latelys, the life-long faithful , and those who found a change of heart will all receive the same reward (Matthew 20:1 – 16). That is the nature of the our God’s generosity and love.

Peter