They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

Last night, I checked my email and discovered an email from Sister Amy Kristine that Father Barnett had passed away at 6:30am yesterday morning. It kind of...really got me thinking. I think this is one of the first deaths I'm not really struggling with (death usually is very hard for me). I think one of the main reasons is that I know how he received Anointing of the Sick a few times and was surrounded by prayer during his entire dying process. But I also think there's something deeper still about how this is affecting me.

At the recent FOCUS Bible study I went to, Claire said that everything in Scripture is there for a reason (we were going over the genealogy of Jesus, and she was assuring us that it's not in Scripture just to be a long list of names inserted randomly...there really is more to it for the audience), and it made me begin to see how life can be viewed in the same way. God places each circumstance in our life for a purpose on our journey in holiness. If I met somebody at a time different than the time God appointed, would my path to holiness be the same...? Anyways, so I really started thinking last night, why would God have let me spend time with Father Barnett while he was dying? I was only there for a week, he didn't know me, surely some family member or friend would've been better company during his dying days...why did God allow me to pray with him as he began to prepare for death? There were many times while I was praying with Father and holding his hand when he was in pain (holding the hand of a priest, the hand that consecrated bread and wine...woah. That was powerful.) where I began to ask that question...why has God brought me here? I think Father taught me more in his pain than any comfort I provided him. These are some of the conclusions I came to:

1) It was a wonderful reminder of being with my Grandma as she passed on. It really struck me how sharp witted each of them was until the end. They both followed along with the rosary so well, even when they could hardly speak. Father would even try to make the Sign of the Cross, even though he could only move his hand. Which leads me to the next point...
2) The power of the rosary was made so apparent to me. When I prayed it with him, Father's pain seemed to be at least more bearable. Mother Mary comforts her children very tenderly.
3) In the entirety of my visit at the Little Sisters, I realized just how overlooked the elderly can be. We are reminded so much of the corporal works of mercy like feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty that more uncomfortable works like visiting the imprisoned or elderly or giving shelter to the homeless are looked over. Just being with Father seemed to lessen his agitation. Even though I wasn't anybody that Father knew, being there with him and for him was enough. The Communion of Saints is so beautiful. I'm very glad I got to spend time with Father, and that there is another soul in Heaven, one that was blessed to enter Heaven on the Feast of St. Joseph.