Recently, the father of one of my friends passed away on his way to a doctor’s appointment. In our conversation it occurred to us that his father had a doctor’s appointment that none of us gets to postpone and an appointment that we all get to keep. No one gets out of it.
Someday, hopefully a few years into the future, we will get to pass from our current life to find ourselves in purgatory, hell, or heaven. Heaven was described by Pope Benedict XVI as a place where one lives totally surrounded by God’s love, in his presence for eternity. He described hell as a place of total isolation, where there is no love and never will be. Purgatory is described as a place of purification and preparation so that one is able to be in the presence in heaven with God for eternity.
My mother kept her appointment with the Great Physician when she was only fifty-two years old in 1962. It was really tough on everyone. As children it blindsided us. We still think of her often and miss her badly. At that time, I could not think of her going to the Great Physician, Jesus. We only thought of our loss and not her gain.
I believe that she has optimum health now. She is no longer a cardiac patient, elderly, hypertensive, tired, or has sepsis. I have to say that at age twelve, my parents did not share with their children the severity of her illness. She had been to the hospital before, and we thought she would soon be home after a well deserved rest. She would be home for Christmas.
I hear stories of people going to heaven and becoming completely healed. I like to think that Mom is young, vibrant, healed, and alive. She is wonderfully anticipating our reunion when we get there. First however, I think I have an appointment with the Great Physician, who is also the Divine Physician. It is only then that, “All will be well.” My sinfulness will be transformed into holiness. Paraphrasing Martin Luther King, Jr. “Healthy and Holy at last, Healthy and Holy at last. Thank Almighty God. I am healthy and holy at last.”
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May he let his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you his peace.”
