Life is such a wonderful experience that many people are afraid to even think about it or that they will some day die. Yet, the reality is that life does not end with death. In fact, I have recently come to realize that there is only one reality – LIFE. Because there is life, anything and everything is possible. And when there is no life, nothing is possible because no thing exists.
Science, for all the incredible technologies and the wonderful conveniences that it has brought into our lives today, has neither the facility nor the categories to explain life after death. But anyone who has deeply imbibed the beauty of nature (such as hiking up an awesome vista or watching an exciting sunrise or a blazing sunset) or have seen people coming together in peace and love (as in the EDSA I People Power revolution or the coming down of the Berlin Wall) or have seen grace at work in forgiveness and reconciliation (as in seeing young children lining up to do their first confession) will have had a glimpse of eternity.
I am usually not one given to the practical and rational. I love wasting time on Facebook connecting with people. I love long walks and long drives even with no particular purpose or destination. I love reading materials that I will never put to productive use. I go for mushy and meaningless affirmations and conversations. I would go for the spontaneous and the ridiculous anytime.
It is rational to expect that all things must eventually come to an end. Yet, life is replete with instances when the irrational makes more sense than the rational. Like when we do what is contrarian to make sense of things: the first shall be last and the last first; that to gain my life, I must be willing to give it up; that it is only when I am willing to give that I receive; and that to live I have to in fact die. The cross was the ultimate symbol of defeat for the Romans; but fool on the hill made the cross a sign of victory and I have tried all my life to follow that pitiful man they have nailed on it.
The believer, through Faith, is able to transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, the mundane into something magical and the petty into something pretty. With Faith, every new day becomes a wonderful present and every adversity becomes an opportunity to become better and stronger. In Faith, Christ took on the cross, the worst penalty for criminals then in the Roman Empire, and transformed it into an enduring and eternal symbol of unconditional love and great sacrifice.
I am blessed twice whenever I count my blessings: first, when I actually receive the blessing and second when I recall and remember it in gratitude. Often, I forget the blessings and graces I have in my life. And even more often, I forget the source of all the blessings. In prayer, I acknowledge all the graces and blessings I have received in humble gratitude, like emptying my cup to make it ready to receive yet more blessings, fully aware of the Source and the Cause.
familiar with dr eben alexander, the neurosurgeon who had a near death experience? he has been in the circuit talking about his “proof of heaven.”
I have read his book. There is a lot of science in it and some valuable insights. He even described his NDE (Near Death Experience) very vividly, like there are three levels of heaven.
But from the various reviews I have come across, it has not settled anything. For believers, the book provides scientific evidence. For non-believers, Aleaxander’s methodology is flawed and the conclusions therefore are false.