Amen to gratitude. I had a very serious surgery to go through with a chance of death. I went to confession, received my anointing of the sick, and prayed with my church community. When I was entering the surgery... there was no fear as I was grateful for being able to live as a catholic. I remember praying... Into your hands, I commit my spirit... i fell asleep with a smile. And I woke from surgery with a smile... Despite all the pain...it is all okay with Christ who carries me.
Remember Jesus and your guardian angel are with you always. When you close your eyes feel them embrace you with a love beyond this world. Don’t think for one moment you are alone. Remember “Be still and know that I am the Lord. “God Bless 🕊🕊🕊
I'm truly sorry for your loss. My sister lost her husband just last month. I don't know what to do for her but be there for her and pray for her. He was such a good man. God bless you.
I am not scared to die, but I am scared to die without guiding my son who is 3 years old now. All the hardships I had in my life is because my parents died when I was young and I would never wish that for my son. Hence, I ask God to prolong my life to be able to advise my son. Thank you fr Mike
I used to panic over the thought of leaving orphans. Then I prayed that I would live as long as my family needs me, and as long as our Good God needs me to do His will I don't worry about that anymore. I wake up and thank God that we are all still here
I was with my children all through thr LIVES talking & teaching but when they go out into the world they seem to forget My eldest died suddenly 2yrs ago He was married had children etc we talked but never really talked if you know what I mean he lived miles away! My biggest regret is we never got time to just talk & reminisce & just look at him! I miss him!
God has plans to prosper us, not to harm us. Trust in the Lord that whatever happens in life is in accordance to his will and we know his will is perfect.
On the other hand, the hardships you went through made you the man you are today. Keep calm, whatever happens will be for your son's good. It won't necessarily be easier on his body. It will be better for his soul.
This made me cry. May I always remember - Everyday is a gift not owed to me, a love and life I don't deserve. I look at your wounds and they're for me. Thank you Jesus, Savior and Friend🙏🏾
As I get older - I'm 66 now - I think more and more about my impending death. I know that I could die a minute from now, or twenty or forty years from now. Sometimes I feel at peace about dying, and sometimes I feel fear. I want to be with my husband for many years more. The fact that we are together, that our marriage - 46 years now - survived a painful five-year separation, is a genuine miracle, a gift from God that delights and encourages all who know the story. Sometimes I fear Purgatory; sometimes I doubt its existence. I long to be in Heaven, in the presence of our Creator, our Lord and Savior, our Comforting Spirit, with our Blessed Mother and all the saints and angels, while hoping that I will share it with my husband. I hope that I will live my love of singing in praises to God, further hoping that in Heaven my voice will sound pretty. I believe that when we each get to Heaven, no matter how much we have read and heard about it, we will be surprised. I pray to St. Joseph for a happy death, to die in a state of grace. And now, thanks to the gift of this video lesson, I have another way, both mature and comforting, to approach death. Thank you, Father Mike, for being open to this wisdom from God, and for being willing to share it with us. God bless and keep you, and may all of us meet in Heaven, eternally in the presence of our Lord.
At the end of my life, I pray to have the wisdom and good sense to be grateful to God for the blessings received throughout my life and for life itself. I also pray for the serenity of a happy death.
As a Catholic l pray daily for those who have died. I hope they will be praying for me especially those moments before l die. I hope some day to be able to say,' Lord make me,worry of my suffering".
My wife passed away 4 months ago after being in the hospital for over 9 months. The pain my wife was going through was also hurting me every single day, I cried and prayed every single day. I was crushed immensely when she passed. I'm still grieving and when I look back I see that there is a silver lining in all of this. God blessed me with the most beautiful woman. My wife gave me the best 13 years I can ever ask for. I became a changed man for the better in chasing after Jesus, I read the bible constantly, I prayed multiple times a day, I gave Jesus my heart and soul with faith and trust. I sit here now grateful for the life God has given me and when it is my time to pass I will be grateful and ready to be at rest and and peace finally.
So sorry to hear of ur loss, been where you are give urself time just to stand bk and heal again everones timeing is so different so dont rush your sorrow but i promise it will get better🙏🙏 and always know ur dads not far i beleive just a veil away so while i understand you havent his presence "he is so near you love carries on never dies,you will smile again and when you do know ur dad would want to see that too, and we will all meet again im sure of this will pray for ur healing of greif god bless you 🙏🙏💔
Amen, Fr. Mike! Yes, the more we have on earth (especially, possessions of materials), the less we'll be worry-free to be passing on to the next stage. And definitely, if we're having the feeling of "I deserve to live long in this life", we'll be very unsettled to let go of anything and be with full of anxiety. But if we're to live life as if (which it really is) God has gave us this opportunity to participate in His plan of Salvation, we'll feel that we can let go of anything at anytime to Him (Rest In Peace), since He's the One Who takes the call on our very lives. We all owed Him everything, and He doe not owe us anything. Live life as it's a gift from God and not like as if we're god in our own minds. God bless.
This is helping me with the anniversary of my oldest son's death. Now looking at how grateful I am that God gave him to me for 39 years with all the ups and downs. Thank you. His birthday is April 30th - he passed October 29, 2012. Bless you for this insight.
I had a near death experience and first I was mad at God for sending be back. He told be that I need to go back for my 2 babies and to help people. At that time I was 31 yrs old with 2 babies 1yr old and 2 years old then but now I’m grateful that I was sent back to be able to take care of them.
Thank you so much Fr. Mike! Life IS a GIFT from GOD. I will be eternally grateful to our Eternal Father for creating me. Thank you Heavenly Father! 💗💗💗
I remember I asked myself why my life is not as good as others whom I know, and I felt like Someone said to me, "And this is my life, look at my wounds, these are all for you."
I don't know how you do it Father Mike, but you speak to me at exactly the right times in my life, when I need to hear these words. Thank you, and thank God for every day I'm here on this Earth.
Father Mike you have come to me via social media I watched one of your videos and couldn’t switch off I’ve not been in church since being baptised as a teenager apart from my marriage You have introduced me to god again and for that I 🙏 💕Thankyou
It’s the Holy Spirit working through father Mike to reach you. Please pray for him and all priest so that God may continue to use them to reach us all. ❤️
The Holy Spirit burns so bright within you my Friend! May God Bless you and your family. Thank you for everything you do and to take a well-known lyric , "Don't Stop Believin'!"
Father Mike brings so much clarity and true joy in being Catholic! Thank you for your guidance on so many topics! It helps me share our faith with confidence. Your guidance helps me live being closer to God. Faith is trust, but it's nice to understand some things too!! Thank you, Father Mike!
Father Mike, i don't know if you ever go through and read comments, but the video was beautiful and, like other people who commented, very timely. Im 47 and have metastatic prostate cancer in all my lymph nodes, and im suspecting the last few weeks its in my bones now. This video made me not only teary, but made me realize how full of gratitude i am for every moment, every breath, every Mass, every person i love, every prayerful meditation, and im totally at peace with everything and appreciate my present deeply, and look forward to my future!
Thank you so much for this. It helped me to realise how the devil weaponises "God doesn't owe you anything" to demoralise us. If anything, the fact we're owed nothing yet are still SO RICHLY blessed is a testament to that love. A love you aren't owed but also don't need to deserve or earn. Wow. Thank you Jesus for my life and everything in it 🙏🏾
Father, such a beautiful reflection/teaching. You are an example of what good results when one cooperates with the graces that the Holy Spirit has designed for you! Thank you.
My early life was very difficult - poor social adjustment, bipolar disorder and a lot of suffering. Even though my later years have been wonderfully comfortable, I have always had trouble thanking God for my life. That is til I realized recently that Jesus has been with me the whole way. I can thank God for my difficult life knowing I lived it in his presence, and I wasn’t just floundering on my own, as I thought I was. I came to know God later in life, after most of my difficulties had been taken care of. Father Mike, I think you have a triple dose of the Holy Spirt. I love your videos. Thank you for so much wisdom.
Thank you Fr. Mike that absolutely brought me to tears, everything you said is absolutely true. Every day is a gift from God and we owe him our hearts and our salvation into the Heavenly Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Man, this is so true. It's so easy to slip into the attitude that I deserve certain things, amount of money, or even respect from other people. Every second that I am here breathing is literally a gift from God, and really helps to be reminded of and put my small worries into perspective. This makes me think of St. Anthony of the Desert. "For if we too live as though dying daily, we shall not sin. And the meaning of that saying is, that as we rise day by day we should think that we shall not abide till evening." Thanks as always Father Mike, God Bless.
Fr Mike Thank you so much for helping me learn more about my relationship with Christ and the depth of where it can continue to grow. I enjoy your messages of truth that help me in my journey of faith daily, even when it's hard to understand. I am extremely grateful for my faith and for the messages that you and many others profess ❤️🙏 This message had me in tears of how grateful I am that I am able to take my next breath because Jesus holds me in existence.
I'm 40. I had an awareness of death since I was a child, well before any close family members died. I wasn't raised Catholic--my parents were (and remain) secular Jews. I came to faith in Jesus at 16, joined the Church at 19. My personal view on my death, whenever it takes place, is that I don't care as much when I die as dying in the state of grace. Also, I want to spend as little time in Purgatory as possible, preferably bypassing it altogether. :) A long life doesn't appeal to me as much as being told, "Well done, good and faithful servant" by Christ. But I definitely have to work on gratitude!
Just got off the telphone with an old aged person of almost 100 and who is not a Chuch goer, I feel blessed to recieve your message to share with her more specifically, during this summer 2021, when our Old Aged folks need more comfort..on their journey to see Jesus in his glory. 🙏🏻🙂
Mom died 10 days ago. She was loved by many. Was married to dad for 60+ years until her passing. Firm believer in our Lord. But she did suffer. Long standing health issues. Every day was a gift for us and a burden for her. She was not owed anything and yet, despite her suffering, letting go wasn't easy. She was grieving. She was scared. I am grateful for every minute she was with us and I certainly hope she is in a better place. But my faith is weak and the grieving process is not easy. Death is never good, your own or a loved one's. Such a complex topic deserves a series of videos from different perspectives. Thanks always father Mike.
I have never been afraid of dying until recently when I ended up on life support because I stopped breathing. I now am praying that I will have a couple more years to live and I am afraid now. It really took a toll on me and I don't want to feel this way. I also am so afraid of leaving my grandson who is 12 and that I have raised since birth.
I didn't get the part about "Feeling like I'm owed something". Just couldn't imagine myself with that mind set that my life is owed to me. Then I thought about it and realized that every time I think of someone older than me that may not have taken as good as care of their earthly body as well as I have and think I should be able to at least live as long as that person, I am in a sense envying that person and feeling like I deserve to live longer than that person. Or as Father Mike pointed out I am in fact feeling like "my life is owed to me". Now I just have to figure out how to get out of that mindset and realize that EVERY moment in this life is truly a gift from God and just because my grandfather lived to be 96 doesn't mean I have another day promised to me. May God bless you Father Mike for sharing your faith with so many others....
Also back in 2000 my dad passed away at the age of 54. Well my bff her dad passed in July 2000 then my dad sept 2000 then my ex-husbands dad oct 2000. It amazed me at how much a difference our faith made in that situation. I knew my dad was going to be just fine and was blessed to get a sign that he got home ok. Awesome experience there is and was no ? It was from our Father. I’ve been blessed my whole life with signs from Our Father. So yes everyday is a gift. Even though we all forget that a lot including me. So it’s nice to be reminded of how to look at our lives. Our blessings really do add up pretty quick. God Bless
When I got diagnosed with cancer the first thing I said was I know that i am going to see mother Mary again. Then I got angry because of lack of support in friends. I had to let go of that life in friends , to get God's will. Then I got help from god 🙌 🙏 😌 and it's the same help all of us have . That gods only son suffered and died for us so that we may live .it is also the gift of a mother's love and the gift of a fathers love . It is right in saying that to let go of this life , is gratitude itself. Thank you for this Fr Mike I will say a prayer for you today. 🙏
Thank you, Fr. Mike, for reminding us of the need to live each day with gratitude to God. Listening to what you had said actually reminded me of Job's prayer when he was afflicted: "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord."
Father Mike, your message was eye opening and went straight to my heart. How I wish your words could be disseminated more widely to this very self entitled and self centered society we live in. Please keep these messages coming! 🙏🙏
I was with my mother recently when she passed. Thank you for your message. I understand it at many levels from my recent experience. God bless you Father!
i was listening to this, and got bored, wondering why God wants me to hear this. then Fr Mike got to the part about being heartbroken over someone we lost. and I realised why i needed to hear this. because every day after my mom's death four years ago, i've been waiting to die so i can see her again. Now I know I need to be grateful instead, for the time I had with my mom and the time I have left on this earth. I don't fully understand this yet, but it's something to start with. Thank you, Fr Mike. God bless.
Dear Allan, losing parents and then my teen daughter(to suicide), truly I understand. Look for the joy every day in your life and know that you WILL see them later. 🙏🏻
@@elizabethturel78 Thank you for your kind words. I'm so sorry for your losses. I have learned that grief never goes away or gets any easier. We have to learn to live with it. God bless.
You're SO right, my grandpa just paseed away and I was thinking about this yesterday, granted I still cry, but I'm truly so grateful that God gave me the oportunity to have him in my life. He's honestly the best person I have ever known, such an exemplary man that I was blessed to call grandfather and I truly thank God for that from the bottom of my broken heart 🙏
Wait, did Fr. Mike just say he was 46 years old or did I misunderstand him? Surely he’s not 46!! Oh, great talk as usual. Fr. Mike is always on point! ✝️
Great message Father. I need to remember that everything is a gift from God. There is one thing in particular that I really desire but don’t have yet, and often feel like I am entitled to it. I need to pray on it and give it up to God! I’m thankful for what I do have!
My mom passed in 2000, my dad in 2001, my husband in 2006, my job of 17 plus years in 2009. My husband now is in home hospice! End stage COPD, and all of a sudden he can’t walk. I don’t know how to pray for him. His quality of life is nothing but the bed and tv. I love him and don’t 8:40 want him to die. On the other hand if his quality of life is over for God to take him. Then I feel guilty! I can’t stand seeing him like this. How do I pray!
I already grieve for my wasted life. God gave me so much and I failed in every way. God gave me chance after chance gift after gift love that I certainly didn't deserve. I am a wretched sinner and find it hard to know why God loves me. Terrified of dying yet can't see why Jesus would save me.
Yes. We have to let go. We have to let go of our spouse who leaves before us. It's not easy. Good video. Gratitude. Everyday we wake up is a gift and a bonus on earth - an opportunity to draw closer to God. Redemptive suffering. Selfishness and ego contribute to resentment. We need to decide now, with faith and the grace of God that we will not be grumpy curmudgeons on our deathbed. How many old people do we observe who seem angry and fearful? Let's pray for people nearing death to have peace in their souls and the proper outlook.
Thank you Fr.for a lovely n lively delivery on dying ,the need to be thankful for all days of our lives,n tha God doesn't owe us our lives ,or how many days we live.n so on! G B. U.
I need help in letting go of Thing’s! Someone said you use God as a crutch,in other words can’t you do it by yourself. The answer is you do it by yourself it’s still gift but having God as a Crutch is the best support you can have! I have Jesus and Mary then I’m truly rich. Also not to resist my Cross/es. God bless. Praise Jesus and Mary always!!!
I often find myself with wishing I had never been given the gift of life in the first place. I didn't ask to be born into this world, I didn't ask to be brought into existence. I long for the day I die, and I think my death will be a happy death, but only insofar as death removes me from this life. Even if each day is a gift, it is a gift I am ungrateful for, and I would love for God to take it away.
Wow! You really touched me with what you said. So much of it was things I'd heard or knew, but the way you put it all together made it so much clearer. Thank you Fr. Mike!
