A life — and lives — given for others

A recent cover of Time Magazine had this enticing message: “How To Live Longer, Better.”

As we get older, time seems to pass much more quickly.

It is only natural to think about our forthcoming end of life and to be extremely interested in possible ways of extending our life.

Articles such as the one in the recent “Time” issue on aging get our attention pretty quickly.

The article told of a French woman, Jeanne Calmet, who lived to be 122 years old.

“Wow,” we say. “That is absolutely amazing.” We may not want to live that long, but maybe just a hundred would be nice.

A recent issue of St. Anthony Messenger had a wonderful article titled “Courtside with Sister Jean.”

She is the chaplain to the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team.

She takes a personal interest in every member of the team and has a prayer hug in the middle of the court before every game.

She is, according to the marvelous photo story “Rock Star, Icon, Living Legend.” Everybody loves Sister Jean.

To look at her cheerful face, you would say she is maybe 78.

Actually she is 98 years old.

It is not how long you live, but how well you live as the years go by.

The Feast of Easter is once more upon us. Christians from all over the world gather to celebrate the joyful event of Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead.

Just 36 hours before, on Good Friday, Christians celebrated Jesus’ saving death on the cross.

Sunday, on this glorious Easter morning, Christians enter the church and behold the beautiful Easter lilies, signs of new life, and the brilliant light of the Easter Candle blessed by the priest in the darkness of the Church at the Easter Vigil and lit from the new fire with the prayer “May The Light of Christ Rising in Glory Dispel the Darkness of Our Hearts and Minds.”

No matter how long we live, death seems to be the ultimate end of life.

But for those who believe, death is not the end.

And the promise of Christ who said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in me will not die forever” is the Good News that Easter once more celebrates.

A beautiful Easter story was featured in the Knights of Columbus Magazine, Columbia, entitled: “The Four Immortal Chaplains.”

Seventy-five years ago, a U.S. transport ship, SS Dorchester, was sailing across the North Atlantic to an army base in Greenland.

A German torpedo struck the ship’s engine room, causing a massive explosion. The ship, carrying 900 soldiers, sank in less than 20 minutes.

Four army chaplains were on board: a Catholic priest, a rabbi and two Protestant ministers.

The four chaplains did their best to give courage and comfort to the terrified soldiers, helping them to board lifeboats and handing out life preservers.

When there were no more, the chaplains took off their own vests and gave them to the soldiers who had none.

Many survivors seeing this heroic action by the chaplains were moved to tears.

There is a dramatic painting showing the four chaplains, arms locked together standing on the slanted deck, praying and singing as the ship slipped beneath the waves.

As the article pointed out, “Four men from different religious traditions worked together in a life and death crisis to serve others”

In this service, they gave up their own lives to give life to others.