Life and Death
Have you ever wondered what it would be like spending life with the dead and yet being unafraid?
Friend to the mourners
I know a man who lives just like that most of the time. His name is Kalis. He’s a friend to embalmers, to those who arrange flowers for funerals and to newly-bereaved families. His town folks know him well even though he’s seldom seen on festive occasions such as weddings and birthdays. Ask anyone where he is and the answer will always be the same: ‘Kung saan merong patay, siguradong nandoon yan!’ And what is he doing? Chances are, you’ll find him helping the mourning family, doing errands, teasing the teenage boys or being teased by them, talking about things that would make your head spin in confusion and making you laugh. Kalis, who has a mental disability, could drive you crazy at times.
He has no permanent address but makes his temporary home in a house where someone has just died. At funerals he’s the one who leads the procession to the church. He helps carry the coffin, instructs others to go this way or that, as if he’s the boss. But people respect him and follow him till they reach the cemetery. When things settle down in the family of the dead, he’s nowhere to be found. The next time you hear of someone dying in his hometown, no doubt Kalis will be there, repeating the same thing.
He truly is a special person, with a mental disability, yet beautifully equipped with helping hands and a loving heart. He uses these in his unique way which undoubtedly pleases God. Since life on earth has to end, like us, he too will perish. Death then will not be the end of everything but the beginning of another life for him. His good deeds and his innocence are his passport to heaven.
Our unique gifts
If we follow his extraordinary example, we too will enter God’s Kingdom. But it is not necessary for us to be ‘different’ and carry a coffin just to enter heaven. God has endowed each of us with many talents. No one is not gifted. Everybody in different ways is capable of great things. The words of Bishop Thomas Ken challenge us: ‘Teach me how to live, that I may dread the grave as little as my bed.’