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 every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken. — Isaiah 25:7-9
Back in the early 2000’s, a dear friend of ours was dying of cancer. He was terrified of death, mostly because he had “lived life hard,” as he put it, “and did serious wrong to a lot of people” before he came back to his Catholic faith late in life. He was afraid that all those people would be waiting for him on the other side of the grave, there to accuse him before God. No matter how much assurance he received in sacramental absolution, he held tight to his past.
My wife visited him in hospice with three of our children, all of whom were under 6 or under. The last time she went to see him, he was weepy and visibly panicked by the nearness of death. One of my children jumped up on his bed and said to him, “Don’t worry Mr. Pat, it’s gonna be okay!” Which only made him cry more.
A few hours after Patti and the children left, the woman who had been at his side throughout his chemotherapy and dying called me at work. She said, “Pat just passed to the Lord. I wanted your family to know what happened. After your wife and children visited and then left, Pat was, as usual, inconsolable. I went over to him and said, ‘Did you hear what that boy said to you?’ He nodded. Then I told him, ‘Don’t you know Jesus sent a child to you to prepare you to meet Him? Those words he said were straight from the Heart of God, ‘Don’t worry Patrick, it’s gonna be okay.’ He quieted down, closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. I left the room, and he flat-lined. I just wanted you all to know that.”
The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
and a little child shall lead them. — Isaiah 11:6
Neal Obstat Theological Opining 
A perfect post for today’s text mess sent out by The GIG Apostolate. Considering it a kiss from heaven for Addie and her family, as they prepare for the funeral of her young niece Angie, who completed her journey to eternity on the 100th Anniversary Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. She have two children, Ashlynn, a freshman in high school, and AJ, her 11 year old son. Asking that everyone reading this remember the family in prayer. Dr. TJN, you are ministering far and wide, so my prayer is that the Holy Spirit breathe upon you in an even deeper way creating an all consuming fire. You are a big boy, you can handle that. In difficult moments may He like a bellow, gently furnish a blast of His love that floods your soul and rekindle the fire that provides strength and holiness beyond measure.
🙊🙉🙈Carelessness in regards 2 what U speak, hear, see, R read
& a steady diet of worldly garbage 2da other senses U constantly feed
What results will be a weakened sick soul, a spiritual cripple in need
Straight up truth, sacramental care & lots of prayer, da ideal remedy indeed
\😇/
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/ \ http://gigapostolate.weebly.com tmm/PTL
Realized my grammatical error, improper usage of “she have”, instead of writing “she have”. My deceased mom, a teacher must have grimaced above. Mea Culpa!
TMM, I receive your prayer with great gratitude and joy! These are what keep me lifted and living in His grace. Your writing is suffused with your faith and joy and hope and love and freedom. Thank you for it! Your Mama would be proud, smiling on you. Glory to Him for you! tjmfjn
That was really good. Thank u
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID
Neal Obst
Thank you, Lisa.
I am going to read this to my 92-year-old neighbor who is afraid she will never again see her loved ones whom she misses so. I think it will comfort her. Her Protestant tradition did not teach her any theology, so she often confused about what the Bible she reads actually says.
I am so happy to hear that, Dorothy. May God give her peace in His all-surpassing love, the One who “can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20).
The passage in Isaiah reminds me a whole lot of Rev. 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I hear a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Glorious passage, of my my favs in all Scripture! Thanks, Claude. Always a joy to hear from you. Godspeed