When Hezekiah was mortally ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him: “Thus says the LORD: Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.” // Isaiah 38:1
In March, I received news that my childhood pastor was in hospice care. Father was eighty-nine-years old and served as a priest in our Archdiocese for sixty-four years. He was my pastor for twenty-two years, and we stayed in contact after his retirement.
When I heard that Father was dying, I had a very strong desire to go visit him. As I drove to the nursing home, I did not know what to expect. I knocked on the door to his room and was greeted by his sister, brother, and two nieces. I had never met them before, but they welcomed me right in. Father was in stable condition, but unresponsive. The family and I visited and prayed together. I left that evening at 6:30 pm and received word the next morning that Father peacefully passed away at midnight.
As we prepared for the funeral, several people commented to me that Father had “put his house in order.” He had planned his funeral, chosen his burial plot, set up his health care directive, and made arrangements for his finances and belongings. But more importantly, he lived a simple life with Jesus Christ at the center. Father knew that his home was in Heaven, and he ordered his life to this end.
The sacred moments at the end of life are powerful. Father had “put his house in order” and had given his life so beautifully to Christ and His Church. This priest joyfully accompanied me throughout my life. I felt like I was standing on holy ground as we accompanied him to eternal life.
Sister, let us remember today our eternal home in Heaven. Are there practical steps you can take today to put your house in order? We cannot take anything with us to eternal life; may this inform our decisions as we walk our paths to holiness!
Our eternal home in Heaven. // Rose ColemanClick to tweet
Rose Coleman is an elementary school teacher with a heart for pilgrimage. She traveled the globe on a ship during college and spent some years in the convent as a religious sister. She was a contributing author to All She Had, Blessed Conversations: Rooted, and our children’s devotional prayer book called Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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