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
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