There is almost no day, nowadays, that I do not read something that warms my heart, and makes me think that a Good and Provident God has, slowly but certainly, started to adjust things.

Today it was reading JD Vance’s remarks about death. Whilst I would not necessarily subscribe to what he says — death is undoubtedly a sad event for those left behind, but it is the most beautiful day in the life of an Elect, as finding yourself in Purgatory is, in itself, promise of eternal happiness — what struck me as beautiful is that we have here a politician who dares to frame death in a religious setting.

Can’t remember the last time I heard a Western politician automatically thinking of eternal life when mentioning death, and making this association public. It’s really something that is now out of the public discourse.

I agree. Being of advanced years, a borrowed-timer for a long time, I twitch just a little when a TV show has people dying and being missed and that’s all. Silly me, it’s the 21st century in a world of modernism, what did I expect?

It’s not new either. Movies I watched in the 40’s took divorce for granted, and I cringed while enjoying them. We Catholics didn’t believe in that, did we?

So in this day, “public discourse” has neither space nor time for after-life considerations.

Meanwhile, the Holy Father breathes his last. Or would if they weren’t pumping oxygen into him. Lifetime friend Bob succumbed in the middle of the night, wife’s brother Ed did so surrounded by loved ones in the middle of the day. Ditto brother’s widow Mary. The last breath awaits us all.

And here’s something with a future for some of us: For Faith, Hope and Charity (nouns), try Believe, Trust, and Respect (verbs). For everyday, strictly personal use. Imperative case, aiming at yourself. Believe God, Trust Him, Respect Him.

Believe? Like the other two, it presumes believing in. Trust because that’s what Hope is all about. Respect is what you show others, the heart of love for any encounter.

True, hooray for love, who was ever too blase for love?, yet and still, change it for busy times as reminder or non-busy time when it’s all you can manage.

Meanwhile, in re our Holy Father at death’s door (or not), there’s Phil Lawler a few days ago, Friday, he says:

Speculating about the Pope’s health

After a few days of those anodyne Vatican bulletins, reports in the mainstream media began to say that the Pope’s condition was worsening. Actually I think it would be more accurate to say that after his first two or three days in the hospital, the Pope’s condition was pretty much the same, but the few details leaking out of the Gemelli complex were revealing that his illness had been, from the outset, more serious than the Vatican wanted to admit.

So. We are not 100% out of the days when popes never got sick but just died.