Jerry Falwell has died at the age of 73.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
My prayers are with his family.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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FYI, snarky comments will get the meat-axe.
As your Mom should have taught you, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.
Analysis of Falwell’s impact on the culture, etc…, is for another day.
I’m sad to hear about the passing of a leader of great importance to both the religious and political spectra. I used to live in Lynchburg, VA, and Rev. Falwell was very important to the city.
I don’t honestly know how he felt about Catholics, but it really doesn’t matter — now especially. God bless him.
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him! Lord have mercy!
Tim J,
If I may be allowed a little snarky-ness, not directed at Rev. Falwell, but to the post title.
I dislike the euphemism of “passes” to describe death. The Rev. Falwell passes what – passes me on the freeway? Why not just say, “Jerry Falwell has died” or some similar title.
May God grant him eternal rest. My prayers go out to his family.
He passed on being mortal.
He Passed On to the Next World…
Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory.
We just don’t say the whole thing because it’s a mouthful. Kind of like how “Thanks to God to giving” got shortened to Thanksgiving.
He passes the pearly gates.
On the other hand, Brian Day did show respect for the person and this post as he could’ve been more crass in concluding his comment below:
The Rev. Falwell passes what(?)
God bless’m!
Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate
Despise not my petitions
But hear and answer me.
I have an obituary of a relation who died in the late 20s. He was a prominent citizen of a particular small town, and the headline read:
“John Doe Is Called”
By his Maker, I would presume.
It’s fascinating the study of the history of words and phrases…
RIP.
Wow, you never know how folks will respond when you bang out a 30-second post on the death of a public figure. Turns out the term “passes” is so unbearably irritating that it warrants comment all on it’s own.
Let me put it this way; The Reverend Fawell has passed on. He is no more. He has ceased to be. He’s expired and gone to meet his maker.
I might add that he is bereft of life. His metabolic processes are now history. He’s shuffled off this mortal coil…
He died.
God rest his soul.
Tim!!!! “He is no more. He has ceased to be”
Jean-Paul Sartre must be chuckling right about now.
Come on, folks.
Don’t such sentiments contradict the very spirit of this post?
Peace.
I may have not agreed with Mr Farwell on all theology but he did play a very important part in the political field. I have to thank him for that. God Bless him and his family
“Let me put it this way; The Reverend Fawell … is no more. He has ceased to be. ”
Ouch! Red-Alert: unintentional heresy within post.
When one is struggling to say something without criticizing is when one should pray the most; especially for the soul of the one subject to criticism.
O Lover of Mankind; grant peaceful repose, the forgiveness of sins, and a place in uncreated and eternal light to your servant Jerry Falwell; through the prayers of Our Glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary and all of the saints.
Amen.
Bah, my computer erased my login. That last post was me, Joe S. not that it matters.
“This is not intended to be a snarky comment…”
Your secret will be safe with us.
Michael,
I have serious problems with Rev. Falwell’s theology and politics, but Our Lord said even to love our enemies. And so, let us pray to Our Lady for him.
Joe
May God rest his soul.
But Tim J., I feel the need to reply:
“Guess we’ll have to replaceme him then. Sorry, Squire. We’ll have a look ’round the back of the shop.”
Meat-axe, meat grinder, what’s the difference?
To whoever is posting without an alias, could you make one up and post with that name?
Personally, I have no problems with you posting, but because of your jtnova-related post, I’m afraid that I’ll (or that ‘Anglican’, David B.) will again be falsely accused of posting it.
Thanks.
If you can’t say something nice about somebody, think that you too must die.
So the man said some things that got on television. I’ve said plenty of stupid things that didn’t. I’m not in any position to make opprobrious comments about anyone else’s life, soul, or ultimate destination.
Also, he did televise the Servant of God Fulton Sheen on TBN. So Bishop Sheen is doubtless putting in a good word with God for the Rev. Falwell, and I’m not getting in the way of that train! 🙂
There is no telling what good the man did, but his mistakes are certainly pointed out from his history. Maybe some Catholics will come out of it, and to that I am thankful.
Out of the depths I call to you, LORD;
Lord, hear my cry! May your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
If you, LORD, mark our sins, Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness and so you are revered.
I wait with longing for the LORD, my soul waits for his word.
My soul looks for the Lord more than sentinels for daybreak. More than sentinels for daybreak,
let Israel look for the LORD, For with the LORD is kindness, with him is full redemption,
And God will redeem Israel from all their sins.
Mary C.,
I LOVE De Profundis Psalm!!!
Truly, thank-you for invoking such a beautiful prayer at this time. God bless!
I’m a 53-year-old cradle Catholic. I and my extended (mostly Irish) family have often used the phrase “My prayers are with so-and-so”.
These phrases sound odd to you because they are just that: odd to *you*.
Dear Lord, Can we not be charitable and stop being nit picky?
bill912,
My prayers are with you.
Lino,
I will pray for you.
Radical Catholic Mom,
I pray that your prayer will be answered.
People,
A guy passes away and the post that was supposed to be dedicated to his memory ends up actually being… a dispute regarding semantics?
Anything wrong with this picture???
My prayers are “with you” all!
When everyone passes, nobody fails.
Wow.
Just . . . wow.
I think all those semantical nit-picky comments should just be deleted. They’re as welcome and as appropriate as a troupe of banjo players at the Consecration of the Host. We need to stick to expressing condolences and offering prayers.
Jordan, Esau, RCMom: Amen. Thank you.
I love picking nits as much as anyone and more than most, by a considerable margin. There are occasions upon which it is more fitting to remember what really matters, and to leave the nits for another occasion.
May the angels lead him into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome him and take him to the holy city, the new and enternal Jerusalem.
And may God have mercy on us all.
Jerry Falwell: May eternal light shine on him.
Wow….I mean just WOW! This has got to be the most impressive self destructing thread I have ever seen. Impressive!
Thanks, paednoch. We do try.
In partial remedy, I have again removed comments that speak ill of the deceased, as well as the second long semantically nit-picky comment and my response to it (wherein I unloaded on Lino in a way somewhat unseemly for this thread) and the responses to the responses.
Sorry if I missed anything. When I did this post, I was aware that there might be numbers of protestants and others who would drop by and scan the comments, and I hoped to demonstrate in some small way that Catholics were decent folks who were capable of putting aside differences at such a time. Simple idea… note the man’s passing and offer prayers and condolences.
Instead, we demonstrate that there is no topic Catholics can’t turn into a fight (assuming that the combox detractors were even Catholic).
Nice.
BTW, TMZ is not above speaking ill of the dead.
Poor taste – almost like they are dancing on his not-yet-filled grave. (With their grave dancing, I kinda hope he has a burial at sea!)
Great! If people want to bash Falwell they can feel free go there.
It’s important to have a positive attitude about the eternal state of Christians who have died, not because of their politics, but because of their faith. I don’t think that many would doubt that Jerry Falwell believed in Jesus. And, based on John 3:16, that wonderful, well-known verse, shouldn’t we affirm that those who believe have eternal life?
As far as politics are concerned, what about those popular Catholics who, also claiming faith, have similar views to those of Jerry Falwell? I think of Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham as two examples. Relating to politics, I believe they’re both very insightful and would encourage all Protestants and Catholics to listen to them regularly.
“May God help people to value Jesus for forgiveness in light of Jerry Falwell’s death, and may people see Jesus as their Savior this day. Amen.”
May Mr. Falwell rest in peace. I was always impressed by his demeanor when seeing him on TV–usually being confronted by people very antagonistic and outwardly hostile to his theological/political beliefs, yet he always remained calm, civil, and charitable towards those who ridiculed him in these TV debates. I will remember his soul, in the next Rosary I pray.
Speaking ill of the dead is not, in itself, a bad thing… but good grief, let them get the man in the ground.
If burying the dead is a Corporal Work of Mercy, and prayers for the dead are a Spiritual Work of Mercy, then all the schadenfreude and barely restrained loathing seems to cut right across the grain of real Catholic spirituality. Respect for the dead is also a universal aspect of the NATURAL law… there should be no NEED to remind anyone of it.
There will be PLENTY of opportunity to discuss Reverend Falwell’s impact (for good and ill) in the very near future, I’m sure.
Until then, “Tempus Fugit, Memento Mori”.
More appropriate:
De mortuis, nihil nisi bonum
I’m closing comments because the thread seems inexorably headed toward a debate about Falwell’s politics, which – as I said – should be for later, IMO.
Note that I deleted even some positive analysis of his impact because – again – there’ plenty of time for that debate.
Hold those thoughts… thanks for playing.