God is Lord of Life ... and Death

by Fr. Janus Kumala, MIC

Blessed George Matulaitus-Matulewicz (1871-1927), the Marians' Renovator, posited that life "has value as long as it pursues a [righteous] goal." This, he wrote, provides the key to happiness in this life.

One must be ever vigilant in living such a life, he advises, to ensure that we remain on the road that leads us to our goal. That goal is God, from whom we came and toward whom we are going to enjoy the fullness of life with Him in heaven. For this reason, no earthly treasures can satisfy the desires of the human heart.

"When a heart seeks its goal not in God but in creatures or things, an individual experiences disquiet and sadness," Blessed George wrote. God calls us and attracts us to Himself, and Blessed George was fond of recalling Christ's warning: "What profit would there be for one to gain to the whole world and forfeit his life?" (Mt 16:26).

The road to heaven is marked by many trials and difficulties, including sorrowful relations with other people. Blessed George teaches us to remember that God does more than merely put up with us. He does so much more. He forgives us for our sins.

Blessed George writes: "One needs to understand that people aren't angels and that we are not in heaven. We are on earth, where we cry more than laugh, and that our human faults are the remnants of original sin. We should accept our faults as punishment. We should also console ourselves with the thought that we may benefit spiritually from the faults of our neighbors, for in bearing them patiently, we undergo purgatory in this life."

Blessed George taught that to properly form daily life - frequently marked as it is by suffering, illness, and ultimately in dying - we must realize that God is the Lord of life and death.

Blessed George accepted death as a manifestation of God's will. Upon receiving news of someone's death, he would not ask God, "Why?" Despite the pain, he would say, "This is God's will." He deeply believed that God is the Lord of life and death. For this reason, our pilgrimage on earth to life in heaven belongs ultimately, and only, to God.

One cannot plan for illness and death, but one must accept these painful experiences - even being prepared to accept the fact that all our plans and hopes for this, our earthly life, must often be renounced.

God is the One who guides our lives, and God inscribes His plans for our life in our dying and death.

Father Janusz Kumala, MIC, serves in Lichen, Poland.
FHMHC

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