Photo Caption: A family photo of the Maroon 6.

My dad died tragically a few years ago. He was a healthy man but suffered an accident. I’ll share an intimate story. 

He fell one fall morning, but we don’t exactly know how. He suffered major head trauma. He was on life support for a week after his fall. The doctors told us there was no hope—he would not recover. They mentioned he could be taken off the support, but that within minutes he would give his final breath. My Mom, with the support of my family, agreed that this decision was best for my Dad. It prepared my family for December 1st, 2017 at about 3 PM. I will not forget that day. And I will not forget seeing him take his last breaths.

I was in the hospital room with my family—my Mom, my brother, and two sisters. My grandparents were there and we had two parish priests and a seminarian at his bedside. It was a powerful and profound moment. As they took him off life support, he had trouble breathing. He struggled. But we broke out in some hymns. We sang Be Not Afraid. I had a frog in my throat. My voice was shaky. I was tearing up. But it was a beautiful song. And then we sang Jesus, Remember Me.

It was a great tragedy to witness his final breaths. As sad as it was, I recall what Leon Bloy once wrote, “The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint.”

We’re entering Holy Week. We are going to witness the Passion of Christ. Jesus died to sin so that we may have life. We who are sinners can now become saints.

On the Cross he hung, with two by his side. Both were bandits. 

“One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

There we have it. A thief stole heaven. No matter what we have done in the past, we can turn to Jesus’ great mercy. May he remember us. Let us turn to Jesus this Holy Week and sing: Jesus, remember me. The greatest tragedy is not death—but separation from Him in heaven.

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