Dead Man Walking

Death.  Fear it, and it will torture you.  Ignore it, and it will find you.  See it, and it will haunt you.  It is there--always there--hanging over life like a precariously hung weight above a glass masterpiece.  The slightest provocation could sever the thread that keeps it suspended above us, and if unprovoked, time and wear will still break the bridle.  When it comes crashing down, we shatter into a million pieces--each shard cutting into those who helped us to stand.  A lifetime of sculpting is for naught--nullified by the passing from existence. 

Yes, life is fragile.  It is easy to forget, but forgetting comes at a cost.  When death springs its trap, we are stopped cold in shock.  Suddenly confronted with a world we were content to ignore, our minds helplessly slip into daydreams of the world beyond.  And it scares us to death. 

Andrew Moore now resides in that world.  This morning, he was hit by a car.  He died in the road.  His rosary forever unfinished. 

A tragedy.

This was no crime.  It was dark; Andrew was tired; the driver was tired.  It was an accident.  But Andrew was prepared.  No, he wasn't prepared to be hit by a car--if he was, then we wouldn't know his name.  His preparation transcended the moment.  Young people Andrew's age are usually wayward souls, lost and desperately searching for Truth.  But not Andrew: he was prepared.  They say he was a bright young man.  They say he was considering the Priesthood.  They say he was quiet and kind.   They say he was inspiring.  They say he died praying the Rosary.  They say he gave all of his time to the Pro-Life movement.  Well, now he has given his life. 

Death is mostly terrifying for one reason in particular: we are agonizingly blind as to what comes next.  Men have dreamed about the next world for millennia, and yet armed with all their knowledge we are still terrified.  But once death strikes, there is no longer time for fear.  Andrew knows that now.  He must be in Peace.  His life bore the unmistakable marks of Christ, and so now we can know that he rests in Him.  Andrew lived a man, and now he rests a saint. 

I have found the most solace today in a quote by Henry Hyde.  I will end by leaving it here.  Know that I am in good spirits, and I am making every attempt to place my trust in the Lord, who can deliver His grace despite any evil. 

"When the time comes, as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I've often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God -- and a terror will rip your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there'll be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world -- and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, 'Spare him, because he loved us!'"

More information can be found here:
http://www.indystar.com/article/20120720/LOCAL05/120720011/Crash-killed-walker-pro-life-group-s-second?odyssey=tab

Hotter than Hades out Here

The past two weeks have been eventful and challenging.  This weekend, we are approaching Chicago, and putting more than half the country under our belts!

Last weekend we stopped in St. Paul/Minneapolis.  I had the chance to speak at two Masses, one that was filmed and one that was recorded, so my face and my voice graced the airwaves of the Twin Cities.  After the TV Mass, Father was kind enough to inform me that I have a face better suited for radio.  On Saturday night we visited the Mall of America, and I am not ashamed to say that I was so suffocated that I spent the majority of 4 hours reading in a secluded corner of one of the 6 different food courts.

This week has been difficult.  Heat exhaustion, preexisting health problems, and wear from the road teamed up with 105 degree heat and a severe shortage of rain in Wisconsin to give our group a true sacrifice.  In order to keep us going, I have been doing 20-25 mile shifts with barely a break in between.  I can truly say that the only thing keeping me going this week has been the prayers of those around me and the intercession of St. John Vianney.