Tribute to My Brother

I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. - 2 Timothy 4:7 

One of my seven brothers passed away last week. He was my second oldest sibling. He was diagnosed with cancer back in September. He like my father was a strong, quiet man. He was a fitness fanatic and in such amazing shape. How many 68 year old men have a six pack! It was difficult to see him be worn away by cancer. He was so courageous and faithful throughout his illness.

My brother John James "Jimmy" to everyone in the family was an interesting man. He was a simple man, a generous man, and a God loving man. His life wasn't always perfect and he like most people had struggles in life. He served our great nation during the Vietnam War. He was a loving father and grandfather. His grandchildren meant the world to him. My brother was also an elite class marathon runner. Something he learned to love late in his life. His competitive accomplishments were something to marvel at. Above all he was a Christian man, faithful to Our Lord till the end.

Jimmy courageous and faith taught me grace and trust in Our Lord's plan for each of us. I am so thankful that my brother made his journey through life with a true love for Christ. He is now on to eternal life! He fought the good fight and finished his race! Rest in peace my brother!

Exorcism

Recently I attended my daughter Lo's thesis defense at Regis University. She is a double major and in the Honors Program at Regis. One of her majors is Religious Studies, which led her to write her thesis on Exorcism. Scary right? Where did she get this fascination with the rite of exorcism. Coming from a Mexican American Roman Catholic family there is no shortage of belief in God and the devil. We were taught that demons are around just waiting to tempt you and even worse get inside of you. I can even remember as a kid hearing my mom tell us "Get the devil out of you!" when we were especially misbehaved.

Demons and ghostly encounters have taken a front seat in the entertainment industry. I have to admit I get drawn into episodes of Celebrity Ghost Stories. I could share some of my own ghostly experiences with you, but I will save that for another day. I don't like watching most demonic stories and movies. I have a real belief that demons exist and I have no desire to watch the crazy portrayal of possession in movies. I have to admit those movies can be scary and I'm not a fan of scary movies.

What I learned from my daughter over the last eighteen months or so as she worked on her thesis, is that exorcism is actually quite different from what we see in movies. It can be a long process that may take weeks, months, or years. For exorcism to be successful, it should be a holistic process that involves medical, psychological, and spiritual healing.