Let's state the obvious; earthly death is unavoidable, inevitable, unpreventable, and predestined. No human being has ever successfully stared down the "Angel of Death" and won earthly immortality. Our Lord brought Lazarus back from death; but does anyone think Lazarus is still alive today? Our own earthly death is inescapable; but it could be glorious. God gives us the grace to make it so. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) tells us in paragraph 1021, "Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ." In other words, we had better live our life for God, for at the moment of death our fate has been sealed.

The Epistle to the Hebrews (9:27) tells us that each man and woman dies once and immediately comes before the judgment seat of Christ. In other words, at death the human soul is judged for heaven or for hell. Saint Paul in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians (5:10) tells us that every man and woman must appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive recompense for what he or she has done in the body: whether good or evil. In other words, we can ignore God on earth, but upon our death our earthly life will judge us.

I've just returned from my annual Civil War battlefield trip with two of my closest buddies. Momentous events occurred during my five day trip. When I left, Terri Schiavo clung to life on her 13th day without food or water, Pope John Paul II's health continued to deteriorate at an accelerated pace, and my one buddy and friend of 22 years and a diabetic for 30 years said he was in good shape for our battlefield trip even though he had angioplasty surgery last summer.

On the first day of my trip, Thursday, March 31, Mrs. Schiavo (the Florida woman whose battle for life brought America and the world face-to-face with the issue of euthanasia) died and immediately came before the judgment seat of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

At the end of the third day of my trip, my buddies and I returned to our hotel room to the news that the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II had died. On Saturday evening, April 2, Karol Wojtyla came before the judgment seat of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

On the morning of the fifth day of my trip, my friend of 22 years found himself in serious condition in a Chattanooga, Tennessee hospital. He was suffering from unbearable neck and jaw pain, thin blood with a lack of blood platelets, and a dangerous insulin level. His wife and sister drove from Saint Louis to join us in the hospital. Prayerfully, by the time they had arrived, the hospital staff had stabilized my friend's condition. We returned home late that evening.

Not only do my two buddies and I share an interest in Civil War history; but we share an interest in Christianity. We discuss Christ, the Church, and the Bible regularly. My friend, because of his ongoing health issues, focuses a lot of his attention on death and salvation.

CCC 1007 says, "Our lives are measured by time, in the course of which we change, grow old and, as with all living beings on earth, death seems like the normal end of life." Many of us give little thought to death: it seems so far off into the future. For Terri Schiavo, Karol Wojtyla, and my friend death has touched their lives. The Catechism goes on to tells us that death lends urgency to our lives and acknowledging our mortality helps us realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfillment. Sir 7:36 says, "In whatever you do, remember your last days, and you will never sin."

Does anyone doubt that the Holy Father, John Paul II, lived his life for God? As our Holy Father, he showed us how to practice what we preach; he showed us how to live our Catholic Christian faith; and he showed us how to trust completely in Christ.

I believe that nothing happens by chance. I believe that God guides all world events. He does not leave anything to chance. Terri Schiavo and Pope John Paul II never met; yet, their lives and the circumstances of their dying and death will forever be a part of the conscience of those who were alive in March and April of 2005.

Some people think it is morbid to talk about death. Yet, Catholic Christianity does not teach this idea. Death can and should be a joyous event; especially when some one has lived a long and eventful life dedicated to learning, teaching, and living the message of Christ and His Church.

The Church has always taught that when we die our soul will immediately leave our body and come before Christ. At that moment, our faith in God and the events of our life will judge us for heaven or hell. (If we die in mortal sin, we send our soul to hell. If we die in venial sin, we are purged of those sins and their stain before we enter heaven. If we die "full of grace," then we spend eternity in heaven.)

Do you think the soul of Terri Schiavo is in heaven? Do you think the soul of Karol Wojtyla is in heaven? Most importantly, do you think your soul is destined for heaven? Whether you're 10 or 90, be like my friend who is battling health issues; make preparation for death and salvation a part of your life. Death is inescapable; but it can be glorious.

For more insight read CCC paragraphs 1006-14, 1018, 1021-22. Also, pull out your "Catholic" Bible and reference Sir 7:36; Mt 16:26; Lk 16:22; Rom 5:12; 2 Cor 5:8-10; Phil 1:23-24; 2 Tim 1:9-10; Heb 9:27-28.