You do not know the day or the hour - The time to prepare to stand before the Lord is now…….“Viva Cristo Rey!” …….”Long Live Christ the King”

Today Holy Mother Church commemorates the life of St Miguel Pro SJ….Many people do not know who this man is….So I will tell you a bit about him and his life….St Miguel was a Mexican Jesuit Priest who served his people in the early part of the 20th century when Plutarch Elias Calles was the president of Mexico….At this time the government of Mexico was vehemently anti-Catholic and put many restrictions upon the faithful and the Church….Fr Pro ministered to his people in disguise all over Mexico City…..Once he was finally arrested and he was accused falsely of a bombing plot, the government executed him publicly by means of a firing squad…..Before he died, he forgave his enemies stretched out his arms in the form of a Cross and declared…”Long Live Christ the King” (“Viva Cristo Rey!” )…That happened in 1927, less than 100 years ago…..Do think that something like that could not happen here in America?…If you don’t think so, you are not a student of history…..Or do you even care?….Fr Miguel Pro “fought to the death for the law of his God and did not fear the words of the godless, for he was built on solid rock"……What is your life built upon?

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel”

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined”….....We will all face death…This is an inevitable fact…….Have you ever thought about the hour of your own death?…How you will face this reality?…..Have you ever witnessed a person who fearlessly faced death?………My Aunt Lydia was a person who faced her death fearlessly…She had cancer and went through all the treatments….And when she was 81 years old, her cancer returned….At that point she refused treatment and resigned herself to the reality that she soon would die…My Aunt Lydia lived her Catholic faith her entire life…She prayed the Rosary, volunteered at her local food bank, went to Mass…She also was blessed in this life to be materially well off…I note that because she assisted many members of my family who were not…She helped her cousin financially who had seven children when her husband died…She assisted financially my first cousin, her nephew, when he was going to lose his home…And I am sure there were many other things my Aunt Lydia did that I am not aware of….Why do I mention this now?…Because of the way my Aunt Lydia lived her life, when it came time for her to die, she was not afraid at all….I was with her in the hospital the day before she died…..Her last words to me were….”Joseph, I wish you luck in this life…I can’t wait for the joy”! - She was talking about going to heaven - And if you saw her face when she said this - She meant every word!…When I left the hospital that day, I knew that would be the last time I saw my Aunt Lydia on this side of heaven…When I returned to the hospital the next morning…The nurse who was with Lydia that night as she lay in bed dying - This women never meant my aunt before this - And this is what she said about her to me…”Your aunt was a very special person”…I guess they had a conversation before Lydia passed away….And when this nurse told me this…All I could do is say to myself…Yes, I know she was very special…She died as she lived - A child of God

“Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war”

St Miguel Pro and my Aunt Lydia were faithful Catholics…They faced death fearlessly because they knew that God existed and that God always takes care of his own….This type of courage in the face of death can not be “faked”…Its a grace…Because God is real and so is grace!……Many people say they believe in God…They also think that they have time….That they will reconcile with God before its "too late", before their hour of death comes….That approach if you ask me is a huge mistake!….How we live is usually the way we die…And if your life is built upon God, you will face death without fear….“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”…….You do not know the day or the hour - The time to prepare to stand before the Lord is now…….“Viva Cristo Rey!” …….”Long Live Christ the King”