A Meme From Mac

"If you should pass from our presence, what picture of you shall we use for your saint's card, should you be so elevated, and of what do you want to be patron?"

No pictures of me, please: an injunction to pray will be fine. In the old days, when someone died, you had a card made up; all black and white, obviously, it would have a picture of (say) the Crucifixion on one side with a caption (say) "My Jesus, Mercy" and on the other something like: "Pray for the happy repose of the soul of John Smith who died in Manchester on 1 January 1975. Grant him, Lord, refreshment, light and peace." (Apart from the name and date, that's copied straight from a card in my Missal.)

Both of my parents are bookmarks (I blame my sister), with a photo, a long prayer, quotations from the Saints, and (this is one problem) a four week wait after the funeral for them and a cost which limits the number to hand out. Another problem is that people don't have missals nowadays.

Anyway: no photo for me; a card just as described above, and if anyone wants to ask me conditionally (if thou shalt have been saved) for help, then I will support anybody who needs the grace of longanimity when faced by people who do not believe in punctuality. You'll have to pray conditionally, because I won't be up there myself unless I choose to accept this gift. But that's another chapter ...