Some questions about faith
-A A +AFriday, November 2, 2012
IS THERE life after death? Is there heaven and hell? Can the candles we lighted and flowers and prayers we offered to our departed loved ones save their souls? If a man dies, will he live again in another world? Or do we simply cease to exist?
I am a Roman Catholic and I know that our church leaders can ably answer these questions.
But why are other Christian religions not joining Catholics in observing All Souls' Day? Never mind the All Saints' Day because they don't believe in saints. For them, once you are dead, you are dead and you will be forgotten.
Other religions also insist that the candles, flowers and prayers we offer to our departed cannot save their souls and put them to eternal rest. For them, souls do not exist. Unsa-on nga wala man gyoy namatay nga mibalik nganhi sa kalibutan ug mihatag og testimonya.
The Bible tells us there is not only life after death but also eternal life so glorious. “No eye have seen, no ear has heard and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2-9). Jesus Christ came to the earth to give us this gift of eternal life. He sacrificed His life to pay for our sins.
Three days after, he resurrected and ascended to Heaven and joined His Father.
Does this mean that we ordinary mortals will also be ascending to heaven? What about heaven and hell?
For me, heaven and hell are found in this world during our existence. If we do good things, we are in heaven. But if we do bad things, we are in hell. Hell is if you are bothered by your conscience, or if you have an extra baggage. Kanang mga problema nga moabot sa atong kinabuhi labi pa kanang hasulon ta sa atong konsensiya ug tanlag kay nakahimo tag dautan mao na siyay kalbaryo ug impierno.
***
Who is afraid of death? They say that death is like a thief in the night. According to Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali philosopher, poet, writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913, “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”
One thing is certain in this world and that is death. Just as we are brought up into this world, we will one day go back into nothingness. Many fear death because we do not know the unknown. Learn not to fear death and learn to accept that it is all part of life.
We fear death because of our siblings or the people that are dependent on us, especially if we are the breadwinner. We always think and worry about their future if we are gone. But who can stop death? We should always be prepared for it.
In the meantime, enjoy life to the fullest. Enjoy what we want to enjoy while we are still alive for we do not know that tomorrow we are gone.
***
Two of our broadcast media colleagues who are also my close friends need our prayers.
Former city councilor and now Citom chairman Jack Jakosalem, who is also the station manager of Y101 FM, is still at the intensive care unit of the Perpetual Succor Hospital after a brain surgery two weeks ago.
He was operated on by a team of neurosurgeons led by Dr. Wyben Briones after they discovered parasites in his brain. Jack's condition is improving, though.
Marlon Billeta of ABS-CBN’s dyAB is also in the ICU but at Chong Hua Hospital after he suffered a massive stroke last Tuesday. Like Jack, Marlon's vital signs are improving. Let us pray for their immediate recovery.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 03, 2012.
Opinion
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