When someone dies with as much on his soul as Osama bin Laden had on his, it should prompt us to drop to our knees and think about the fact that he had many opportunities every day to turn away from the path of destruction, to make the right choices that would bring light into the world instead of darkness.
What small things do I let slip that can grow quickly greater without me realizing it? What small things did Osama let slip that grew beyond his desire to prune them back?
Popular has nothing to do with it.
As the Vatican statement said:
In the face of a man’s death, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibilities of each person before God and before men, and hopes and works so that every event may be the occasion for the further growth of peace and not of hatred.So I pray for his soul. His and the souls of the others who died with him.
May God have mercy on them.
The reaction to his death brought to mind Our Lady of Fatima
ReplyDelete"Pray and sacrifice yourselves for sinners, for many souls go to hell because they have no one to sacrifice or pray for them."
Someone who works in our rectory said she's praying for Osama's soul and hoping he's in heaven, because if there's hope for him, there's hope for the rest of us too!
ReplyDeleteI understand that people are glad he's gone, but I can't help feeling sad that the way the problem was solved was with a bullet in his head. There may have been no other solution, but this is more a sad statement about humanity than a victory to celebrate. God does not wish the death of the sinner, but that he repent and be saved... So, yes, let's pray for his soul, and for all of the people who will look to him as a martyr and seek to avenge his death.
I think the idea of praying for his soul is galling because people are imagining an evil guy smirking in Heaven, "I got away with it!" But nothing that was evil about bin Laden would make it to Heaven; it would be purged away and he'd be a new creation as God always intended him to be-- a great victory over the devil, and a glorious testimony throughout eternity of God's great Mercy.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteOf course we should pray for his soul. He needs it. And we have no idea if he repented at the last moment of life or not. Only God knows his full story. We must always pray for God's mercy for all human souls especially those of us in most need of his mercy. Thank you for bringing up this issue. :)
Amen.
ReplyDeleteThat is why the Faith is not anything else.
I don't know if I'm rejoycing, but I am glad happy, even if it be a sin. Let God judge his soul. Humans need to implement human justice as imperfect as it may be. His death makes the world a better place.
ReplyDeleteSo I'm not the only one who thought and prayed about him, eh? LOL I must admit I felt a little strange reciting "Eternal rest grant unto him..." The cheering in the streets of America and all over the world frightened me. I may be a little childlike in my reaction, but on the surface, thousands if not millions of humankind putting positive energy into the death of someone is sad. Thankfully, President Obama did not release his photograph. (I bet it will be leaked out in the near future.)
ReplyDeleteTom N
I am pleased to have been so exposed to Divine Mercy Sunday and St Faustina's writings thru a visiting MIC Father.
ReplyDeleteHow can we not pray for UBL? He is precisely a sinner that Jesus is asking (nay, demanding) we pray for... Spritual Acts of Mercy. Pray for the Dead and Dying.