Casual Canonizations: “Saint Ted Kennedy?”

Nancy Pelosi assured us recently of the heavenly intercession of the late Senator Ted Kennedy:  “I knew that when he left us he would go to heaven and help pass the bill, … and now he can rest in peace. His dream for America’s families has become a reality.” But, as Dominican Brother Sebastian White, O.P. notes in his latest First Things column: “There is a problem here, which has more to do with theology than politics, and it provides a good opportunity to think about last things: four of them, to be precise.” The attempted canonization of Ted Kennedy gives us a reason to reflect on what traditionally are called the “four last things”: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.  While it is tempting to canonize our friends and loved ones, Br. Sebastian White reminds us of the reality that marks our end.  His recent First Things column titled “Saint Ted Kennedy?” teaches us something about the salvation promised in Christ Jesus and the universal call to holiness.