Say It Again
Randall Smith on What Is There to Talk About in Heaven?
Not too long ago, I was at a funeral. It was a sad affair, as the funerals of people who have played an important part in one’s life usually are. But one thing that went a long way to diminishing the grief was the excellent homily of Fr. Marvin O’Connell, preaching on the occasion of the death of his long-time friend (of some 65 years), the venerable Ralph McInerny, professor of philosophy for over fifty years at the University of Notre Dame, author of numerous books on Thomas Aquinas, founding editor of Crisis magazine, and creator of the priest-sleuth Fr. Dowling.
During that homily, Fr. O’Connell suggested that Ralph McInerny would now reside in the company of the communion of the saints. He would, for example, see once again his beloved wife Connie and the son they lost when he was only four years old. And being a dedicated Thomist, he was probably already deep in conversation with “the Angelic Doctor” himself, St. Thomas Aquinas. What a conversation that would be!
THIS ARTICLE ONLY AVAILABLE TO SUBSCRIBERS.
FOR QUICK ACCESS:
Randall B. Smith is Associate Professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.
• Not a subscriber or wish to renew your subscription? Subscribe to Touchstone today for full online access. Over 30 years of publishing!
personal subscriptions
Purchase Print &
Online Subscription
Get six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for only $39.95. That's only $3.34 per month!
Get a one-year full-access subscription to the Touchstone online archives including pdf downloads for only $19.95. That's only $1.66 per month!
gift subscriptions
GIVE Print &
Online Subscription
Give six issues (one year) of Touchstone PLUS full online access including pdf downloads for the reduced rate of $29.95. That's only $2.50 per month!
Transactions will be processed on a secure server.
bulk subscriptions
Order Touchstone subscriptions in bulk and save $10 per sub! Each subscription includes 6 issues of Touchstone plus full online access to touchstonemag.com—including archives, videos, and pdf downloads of recent issues for only $29.95 each! Great for churches or study groups.
kindle subscription
OR get a subscription to Touchstone to read on your Kindle for only $1.99 per month! (This option is KINDLE ONLY and does not include either print or online.)
Your subscription goes a long way to ensure that Touchstone is able to continue its mission of publishing quality Christian articles and commentary.
more from the online archives
23.5—September/October 2010
The Loss of a Christian Understanding of Virginity Is Pure Tragedy by Eleanor Bourg Donlon
36.4—Jul/Aug 2023
Our Political Void & the Disintegration of Truth by Michael Hanby
26.1—Jan/Feb 2013
Manly Chastity, Hedonism & the Law of Non-contradiction by Anthony Esolen
calling all readers
Please Donate
"There are magazines worth reading but few worth saving . . . Touchstone is just such a magazine."
—Alice von Hildebrand
"Here we do not concede one square millimeter of territory to falsehood, folly, contemporary sentimentality, or fashion. We speak the truth, and let God be our judge. . . . Touchstone is the one committedly Christian conservative journal."
—Anthony Esolen, Touchstone senior editor
