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Commentary: Will the world end with a bang, a whimper — or Christ?

St. Ignatius of Loyola in his “Spiritual Exercises” asks his readers — traditionally those on retreat — to imagine themselves on their deathbeds. He hopes this meditation will help the retreatants to look at their lives and see what is really important and what is not, to see what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.

The emotions we experience while thinking about our death tell us a lot about who we are and how much we trust God. Do we face death with hope or fear? Are we going to a friend or to a judge?