BE NOT AFRAID

Today's first ready is below and then I've added a short homily I found. I've said this before but I'm not afraid to die. I already have our plots. I bought those years ago. I think it will be so neat to see my parents and the Saints and all those relatives that have gone before me........all those that I have never met! As Christians we have hope! In reality we should be dying each day to our self and our selfishness. As we die to self we can become more like Christ. We die so that he can live! There is nothing boring about being a Christian!

Isaiah 25:6-10a

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples A feast of rich food and choice wines,juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples,The web that is woven over all nations;he will destroy death forever.The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces;The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.On that day it will be said:“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!This is the LORD for whom we looked;let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!”For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Don’t be Afraid. He Won’t Drop You.

Posted By Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D. On December 3, 2008 @ 12:00 am In Homily of
Is 25:6-10 / Mt 15:29-37
Death is not a topic that most of us are particularly happy talking about. Indeed, many people are so anxious about the thought of dying that they can’t bring themselves to do such simple things as writing a will, choosing a cemetery plot, or even visiting a dying friend. The reality of death for every human being, the mighty and the lowly, is as Isaiah says a “veil that veils all people and a web that is woven over all nations.” No one escapes this world alive.
By itself the inevitable prospect of dying could darken our days and cause us to ask why we should bother with anything — ultimately it’s all ashes. But death is not the end of the story, as Isaiah tells us and as the resurrection of Jesus confirms so powerfully. God didn’t make us to be discarded and disposed of as one would do with worn out shoes. He made us for eternity with himself, and he planted in our hearts a yearning that could be satisfied by nothing less than himself.
Trust his promise, trust that longing in your heart, and don’t let the prospect of dying steal your days and your joys. He holds you in the palm of his hand, and he’ll never drop you.