Breath on me, breath of God

The breaking of the heart is heard – and can be healed – by God

My Glass is Half Full

By MARK PICKUP

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
- Jesus Christ

My wife LaRee was with her grandmother the day the woman died at the age of 92. LaRee would not leave her grandmother's side. It was the least she could do for a woman who'd been a formidable influence in her life when LaRee was a little girl in need.

Grandma's hymn

Her grandmother's favourite hymn was Breathe of God (Woodridge/Hatch 1888). Breathe of God was played at the funeral. LaRee misses her grandmother terribly, terribly. Its lyrics began with these words:

Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love the things you love,
And do what you would do.

At the age of 11, my wife went to live with her grandparents after her mom and dad separated. Her grandmother's strong and steady personality combined with the gentle security of their little yellow house on the prairie brought refuge to LaRee's life when her world seemed to be turned upside down. In her grandmother's arms, LaRee felt safe, unconditionally loved and accepted.

Memories of sitting at her grandmother's kitchen table, talking girl-talk as Grandma gently but adeptly moved about her kitchen, baking bread, cinnamon buns or something else delicious, are still imbedded deep in LaRee's memory. It was in her grandmother's kitchen that the world made sense again. Winter blizzards might rage outside the door, but in Grandma's kitchen was warmth and love. It was there that much of my wife's moral character was cast and set.

LaRee saw her grandparents' example of marital commitment that lasted 62 years - through good times and bad. Their marriage ended with her grandfather's death in 1994. LaRee's grandparents faced failing health of extreme age together as a team. They took care of each other. In the last 14 years of their lives, both LaRee's grandparents became legally blind.

At the very end, LaRee kept vigil beside her grandmother's bed until the beloved old woman drew her last breath.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
Until with you I have one will,
To live and to endure.

Over 80 per cent of marriages fail when one of the mates suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS). It's a tough and unpredictable disease with no cure. Steady neurological deterioration drives most mates away rather than endure the heartache of watching the other person decline.

My MS has broken LaRee's heart many times in 22 years of disease. One time, during a particularly terrifying attack, LaRee sobbed that she believed it is easier to be the loved-one suffering than to watch the loved-one suffer.

She may have been right. Pain of the body is just that: pain of the heart - now that cuts to the soul.

Bodies will not survive the test of time - true love will.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
My soul with grace refine,
Until this earthly part of me,
Glows with your fire divine

Grace proves divine love. The grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us (take away our sins) before God. Justification is "acceptance of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1991). As the hymn writer so eloquently told us, it is this grace that refines the human soul.

It is the breath of God that gives all life to earth's creatures. The difference is, of course, that of all God's creation only humanity was made in the image and likeness of God.

Breathe on me, breath of God,
So I shall never die,
But live with you the perfect life,
In your eternity.

Life begins

It is when our lungs cease to draw in air, our hearts cease to beat, and we close our eyes for the last time that we shall realize that this life was a pale reflection of the next. Earthly death is only the beginning of truly living in eternity for those who die with the grace of Jesus Christ. God will dry every tear shed by the broken-hearted here.

"Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people - and God himself will always be with them (as their God). He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away."

The one who sat on the throne (God himself) said, "Behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:3-5).

If you have sorrows that seem too great to bear, do not despair. God himself promised to dry your tears. He who is the breath of life is also the great comforter to those who love Christ. Live and die in faith and his grace.

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