On time, I tried to watch some videos on Facebook site about homilies from the priests. I want to share with you what I have seen and learned on the homily of Fr. Jowel Jomarsus Gatus, a parish priest of Our Lady of Holy Rosary Parish, Santo Rosario Pau, Santo Tomas, Pampanga. It was all about Five Places to be visited before leaving on Earth. Why do we need to visit these places? According to him, when we try to visit these five places; prison cells, school, farm, hospital and mental hospital, we could learn about life. Before we die, we could appreciate the value of life and the meaning of personality when we visit these five places.

First: Prison Cells

When we get there in prison and have a conversation with the prisoners, we could realize that there are among of them got imprisoned without commiting the sins. Meaning, not all imprisoners are sinners. And what will we get there when we visit them? The suffering they have experienced. If we decide to commit a sin or if we choose to do something that could make us sin, we must also be ready to accept punishment. Sometimes, punishment comes not because we have done something but someone has something done for us.

What could we feel when we go there?

Father Jowel said, wherever there is a sin, wherever there is evil, suffering and punishment are not far away. We could learn from the prisoners that if there is sin, there is mistake, suffering and punishment.

Same also with our Heavenly Father, we should be ready to accept the consequences because of our being sinfulness. He will judge us fairly and just. We should not be imprisoned by our sins like vices and being disobedient to His commandments.

Second: School

When we get there in school, we could see and realize that we were once a child. It is good to visit sometimes in school because as we were getting older we forgot to miss our childhood days.

According to father Jowel, it is only our physical body that matured but our soul and spirit are eternally young.

As we grew older and matured, our hearts become hardened to forgive people. Our anger will last longer. We don't trust anymore other people that soround us because we don't know their real character.

But being a child, he is a loving and kind. His anger will last for a minute. He never take revenge to his enemy. He fully trust to his parents. That's the behavior we need so that we can enter the Kingdom of God.

"When we visit the school, we will learn and remember that children are naturally happy, forgiving and humble", father said.

Third: Farm

When we get there in the farm, we could appreciate the lives of famers. We could realize how life is difficult in order to survive. We could feel seeing them how hardworking they are in order to sustain the needs of their families. As we can see them, they enjoyed planting and patiently waiting for the time of harvesting.

Father said, the farmers taught us that working is not a punishment. It is part of their daily lives. And life would be meaningful if we could experience of difficulties in our lives.

Nowadays, many people don't want to sacrifice especially in earning money. They want to get an income in easy way that they don't need to exert efforts and spend time. Just like what happened to some of my friends. I introduced to them this platform and invited to join. They were curious about this and I explained clearly how to earn money in this site. Some ignored me while others registered but never able to publish even one article. For them, money here is hard to get.

Fourth: Hospital

When we get there in the hospital, we could feel that we are more grateful than the people who are inside the hospital. Why do we need to visit in a hospital? To be thankful and to be filled with gratitude. We could see lot of patients like sick people, people who are dying, and people who were died. We must be thankful because we are healthy and we are not in their place. We could see them that they need God to comfort them, to protect them, to heal them and to save them. They ask God for second chance.

According to father, before we ask anything to God, we must thank for everything.

Even we have so many problems like family trouble, depression, pains and worries, we are still be grateful to God that we have healthy body, healthy environment and healthy relationships.

Mental Hospital

When we get there in a mental hospital, we could see foolish and crazy people. And what we will learn from them?

These kind of people are one of the happiest people on earth because they don't mind what other people negatively think to them. Unlike us, we get depressed because of overthinking of so many things. We think what other people say about us. Like foolish and crazy people, we should learn to say, so what!

We need also to visit these kind of people. They taught us not to be affected by what other say against us. It hinders or blocks us to be happy.

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Writer's Note:

These five places that we need to go and visit before we die are not the requirements to enter the Kingdom of God. But these places could teach us the value and meaning of life. The prisons are the ones who could feel the real freedom of not commiting mistakes again. The children are the ones whose desires of their hearts are as white as a snow. The farmers are the ones who are true heroes for us all to survive. The patients are the ones who are truly close to God because of their sincere prayers. Lastly, the crazy and foolish people are the ones who could feel the real happiness in their hearts.

If we could not visit these five places literally, then we reflect what they could teach us spiritually.

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Thank you for reading for this very long article. I hope you'll like it and you've learned lot of lessons from this article.

Have you wondered why the church is not included in the five places we need to visit before we will die? What do you think so? Drop your comment now below. I am curious about this.