late for your own funeral
"Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover." —Isaiah 38:1
Isaiah visited bedridden King Hezekiah and prophesied his death. "Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord" (Is 38:2). He "wept bitterly" (Is 38:3). In answer to Hezekiah's prayer, the Lord healed him and gave him fifteen more years to live (Is 38:5). The Lord even made the sun go backwards to confirm that He would heal Hezekiah (Is 38:8).
What did Hezekiah do with his extra fifteen years? We only know of one thing that he did. Foolishly and pridefully, he showed an ambassador from Babylon "his treasury, the silver and gold, the spices and fine oil, his whole armory, and everything that was in his storerooms" (Is 39:2). This began what eventually resulted in the Babylonian exile and the destruction of Jerusalem. If Hezekiah had died at the original time, it may have been much better for everybody. We should pray that we die neither before our time nor after it.
Prayer: Father, I want to die on time and in love with You.
Promise: "The Son of Man is indeed Lord of the Sabbath." —Mt 12:8
Praise: Our Lady of Mount Carmel came to the hermits of Mt. Carmel but also for all of us since. Mary's model of holiness continues to draw all to the "Holy Mountain."
Reference: (Prepare for a holy death by reading the Bible every day. We have several tape series to help you. Overview of the Bible is six audio tapes starting with AV 10A-1 or three video tapes starting with V-10A. 15-minute Bible Teaching - New Testament is forty audio tapes starting with #700. An Introduction to each Book of the Bible is 32 audio tapes starting with AV 21-1 or 17 video tapes starting with V-21.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 29, 2009
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