She is not, and would never claim to be, some saintly figure serenely contemplating the prospect of a holy death-bed. That is precisely why her story has moved ordinary people so deeply. We can’t see ourselves as Theresa of Lisieux, but we can see ourselves as Jade Goody, fallible, human, frightened, yet right to the last longing for love, looking for hope, wanting to feel that the faith we have grasped makes some kind of sense, and that the life we have lived has a proper conclusion to it. A lot of us will want to say thank you, Jade, for reminding us that it does, and it has.
Amen to the above.
I read an interesting article in one of those celeb watcher magazines while I was in a waiting room this morning. Jade Goody and her two young sons were recently baptized (presumably in a CofE parish). She said she wanted to be able to watch over them after she dies–that was part of her reasoning to get baptized. And she also said she believes in reincarnation. So the parish priest didn’t do too good a job explaining the sacrament, did they? Hopefully someone else will.
Hmmm, never saw the “reincarnation” bit; I have been following Jade Goody’s journey through the Times and Telegraph online. She had planned for baptism for herself and her sons at her parish church but she had a significant downturn before the date. The priest baptized them in a private ceremony in the hospital chapel.
The newspapers reported her saying it was important to her that her sons know Jesus and that she would be in Heaven watching over them. I’m finding her last acts to be VERY moving — with her last bit of strength, she is trying to ensure their future, and much of that includes spiritual matters. That is what a loving mother does!
This is a good article and it’s so true. It’s hard to watch but how can we not? Her final time on Earth is very relevant and inspirational to the masses because she is so real and folks can identify with her struggle.