Death

Today, being on Holy Saturday, I have thought a lot about death. Specifically, four types of death: natural, physical, sacramental, and ultimately spiritual death.

Natural death, I’m talking about the death of nature. Father Manny and I have a great privilege to live in perhaps one of the biggest houses here in Fremont. in the rectory, where we have a large window, we could see through. Just a couple of months ago, almost every tree looked dead. The walnut has no leaves whatsoever, the Japanese maple tree looks like it has no life. and yet just recently after a few rainy days, buds, leaves, they all came, they all showed off. Now I have a beautiful view. Don’t envy me, I see roses, I see beautiful birds, I see beautiful lemon trees racing to produce fruits. Nature has its way to show you and I that death is part of a new beginning. resurrection is part of its cycle of life. Even our own body, if you are doctors, here in this house of God, you know perhaps more than I do. Every day 50 billion cells die. In just a few days or so, our body completely renews. Amazing isn't it. 50 billion cells die so that we could keep the balance, and therefore, grow. Death is an inherent part of our life. Resurrection, it's already programmed in our biological system. so that's for me, it's a natural death.

physical death. Physical death is more than just a natural process of dying. I'm talking about someone who stopped living all together. If you look at the back of the church, there's a little small memorial board. Maybe you, after this mass or sometime, take a look at those faces. Some of those are our people, people that we knew, we loved, and we shared life with fascinating lives. Today, I had a fascinating conversation with a man about to die. Many of you know him very well. His name is Thanh Nguyen, he used to be ushered in this church for more than 10 years. Second stroke now, he's half paralyzed, difficult to talk. I asked him: are you worried about death at all? and he said no, my time is about to end. If I die today, I would be a happy man, because it's holy Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday. This is the most beautiful week I could die. That man was not afraid of death. but he knew in his heart, his time was up. So, for him, death is part of life. For those who believe in Christ, death is not an end, just a beginning of a new life in Christ. That is what I'm talking about: physical death.

A sacramental death is a little bit different. My dear participants of RCIA, those of you have said yes to this process for a while now. you are going to embrace something that Magnificently beautiful foreshadow by the flood in the town of Noah. Foreshadow by the baptism of our Lord. You’re going to enter into the water of baptism; you're going to embrace the very death that our Lord has done on the cross. our sacramental kind. With the waters of baptism, with the Holy Spirit, and the words of our Lord, being said over you. When the water wash you, clean off your sins, and make you his sons and daughters. Remember you die for Christ, just like St. Paul talked about it today. Think of this, my dear brothers and sisters that you die to sin and live for Christ. At this moment, tonight, tonight all of us are going to be reminded that we once died with him on the cross. Thanks to the water of baptism, thanks to the spirit of Christ, and thanks to our Lord Jesus. Don’t forget our dignity, don't forget our vocation, don't forget who we are before God and before the world. We are not just anyone; we are his beloved sons and daughters. Thanks to this sacramental death, we become brothers and sisters in God's family. don't forget that.

The final kind of death is scary, very scary. And we won't want to experience it - Spiritual death. After we end our life here on earth, we’re going to be judged according to what we have done in our life. we try our best to carry out the works of mercy and love, we will be guaranteed a place in heaven. However, if we reject him, if we deny him, if we say no to him, if we ignore him, if we fail to carry out, we might be judged to eternal damnation. That is what I'm talking about:

The final kind of death is scary, very scary. And we won't want to experience it - Spiritual death. After we end our life here on earth, we’re going to be judged according to what we have done in our life. we try our best to carry out the works of mercy and love, we will be guaranteed a place in heaven. However, if we reject him, if we deny him, if we say no to him, if we ignore him, if we fail to carry out, we might be judged to eternal damnation. That is what I'm talking about:

spiritual death, eternal death. That is what we don't want to experience. So, my brothers and sisters, tonight when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, we are reminded of our finality, and yet also our destination. we have been born into this life, we have been given life, we have been given spiritual life, sacramental life, we're going to be with him, our vocation from now on. Let's move on, let's go out into the world and proclaim loud and clear that we are God's children, we are his people. And we dare to proclaim him loud and clear, we dare to love to the end, we dare to share our goodness, we dare to serve one another, we dare to say to the world that we are not afraid of dying for Christ, for God's sake. That is who we are. Christians, Catholics, don't forget your vocation, don't forget our identity in Christ, and don’t ever forget. Only then, can the world become a better place, only then can our lives actually shine like the star in heaven. let's experience once again, let's once again say to the good Lord our promises, once made our baptism as we witness the baptism confirmation and the first holy Eucharist of our brothers and sisters, now at this very moment.

死亡

今天是圣周六-复活节的守夜弥撒，我想了很多关于死亡的事情。对我来说，死亡有四种类型：自然的、肉身的、圣洗圣事的、和最后心灵上的死亡。先来谈谈大自然的死亡。 Fr. Manny 和我有幸住在费利蒙市内最大的房子之一。在这教区的宿舍，我们有一个大窗户可以看到屋外的风景。就在几个月前，几乎每ㄧ棵树都像死了一样。窗外都是光秃的核桃树和毫无生意枯干的日本枫。然而在下了几天雨以后，花蕾，叶子，都回来了。祂们炫耀的展现出艳丽的颜色。我真有眼福，看到了盛开的玫瑰花，美丽的小鸟，还有柠檬树争相结果。大自然告诉我们死亡过后就有生命，复活是大自然循环的一部分。就拿我们的身体来说，我们每人每天的新陈代谢就有500多亿个细胞的生长和死亡。所以在短短几天内，我们便更新了全身的细胞。用500多亿个新细胞来代替500多亿个死亡细胞以维持平衡，继续成长，这真是非常的神奇。复活，它早就是大自然生命循环的一部分。有生就有死，这种死亡对我来说是大自然的死亡。

第二个是肉身的死亡。肉身的死亡不止是一个自然的死亡，那肉身死亡的人再也不能与我们生活在一起了。教堂的后面，有一个小小的纪念板。弥撒过后，也许你可以去看看那些登录在纪念板上的面孔。有一些可能是你所认识，所爱的人。我们曾经快乐的一起享受生命，但现在却不能在一起了。今天，我和一位临死的人交谈，这是一段有趣的对谈。你们中的许多人都认识他。他的名字叫 Thanh Nguyen ，在圣若瑟堂的弥撒中负责带位10几年。最近他遭受了第二次中风，半身瘫痪，难以说话。我问他：你怕死吗？他说：不，我知道我在这世界上的的日子即将结束，如果今天我死了，我会非常的快乐。因为今天是圣周五、然后是圣周六，和复活主日。这是我能死去最美好的一周。他不怕死，因为他明白，他的时间到了。对他来说，死亡只是生命的一部分。对信耶稣的人来说，死亡不是结束，它只是ㄧ个在耶稣内新生命的开始。这就是我所说的肉身死亡。

圣洗圣事中的死亡是不一样的。亲爱的 RCIA 慕道者，你们准备接受这件来自天主的珍贵礼物，已经在这朝圣的旅途上走了一段时间，诺厄洪水和主的受洗，预报了这件神圣的礼物。你将以洗礼之水来拥抱耶稣在十字架上的死亡。圣洗圣事就是以洗礼之水，天主圣神，和圣言，来洗净你的罪孽，使你成为天主的儿女。要牢记你是为基督而死，圣保碌宗徒说 “我们与基督同死，也要与祂同生” 。亲爱的兄弟姐妹们，在圣洗圣事中，我们的老我已经死了，从今以后我们的新我要为基督而活。在这一刻，就是今晚，我要提醒这里的每一个人，我们都曾与耶稣一起被钉死在十字架上。我们要牢牢记住基督徒的尊严和使命，牢记基督徒在天主和世界前的身份。我们是天父心爱的子女。感谢圣洗圣事，使我们成为天主家中的兄弟姐妹。我们永远不要忘记这一点。

最后一种死亡最可怕，它就是心灵上的死亡。在我们肉身结束以后，耶稣将根据我们一生中所做的事审判我们。如果我们尽力做慈悲和爱心的工作，我们会得到永生的保障。如果我们拒绝祂，否认祂，忽视祂，不执行天主赋予我们的使命，我们可能会被审判到永远的诅咒中。这就是心灵上的死亡，永死。这绝不是我们所希望的结局。

兄弟姐妹们，今晚我们庆祝主的复活，我们也思考了我们的结局，和生命的目的。我们已经出生了，被赋予了生命和灵魂，也领受了圣事的生命。我们的志业就应该是与天主在一起。让我们前进，进入这个世界，大声传扬我们是天主的孩子，祂的子民。放胆的宣扬天主，敢爱到底，分享我们的良善，并且互相服侍。我们放胆说，我们愿意为基督而死，为天主而死，我们就是这样。基督徒、天主教徒们，不要忘记你的圣召，不要忘记你基督徒的身份，永远不要忘记。只有这样，世界才能变得更美好，我们的生活才能像天上的星星一样的闪耀。今天，我们见证了兄弟姐妹们的洗礼，坚振，和初领圣体。我们也重新体验到自己的洗礼，再次向主许诺我们的皈依。