When something man-made breaks down,
that is usually the end of the useful life of that object,
be it a piece of furniture, a toy, an electronic gadget, or a car.
When something in nature (that is, God-made) breaks down or dies,
something new and more wonderful comes out of the destruction or the decay.
A seed falls to the ground, dies, rots and then a new plant sprouts out of the decay.
Leaves fall and decompose and out of the decay comes compost
that will nurture and nourish new plants and tree saplings.
Stars explode and new stars are born.
And out of the stellar bang comes the dust and the mud
from which man has been fashioned out.
“Behold, I make all things new.”
Out of human weakness, pain, and suffering will spring forth new and eternal life.
Life is such a wonderful experience many people are loathe to leave it.
Death is such a great unknown many people are loathe to face it.
Yet, there is life after death.
Science, for all the wonderful technologies and conveniences
it has brought into our lives today,
has neither the facility nor the categories to explain life after death.
But anyone who has imbibed the beauty of nature
(such as hiking up an awesome vista or watching a blazing sunset)
or have seen people coming together in peace and love
(as in the EDSA I People Power revolution)
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.