Too much to live for

In an earlier post, I wrote about my shock over hearing the news of Heath Ledger's death back in January. I have to admit that I have thought a whole lot about that situation in the weeks since. At the risk of sounding like a cliche, it is just so hard to understand how someone who seemingly had so much could be so empty on the inside.

I tried to put together my thoughts on the deaths of both Ledger and fellow Gen-X actor Brad Renfro in my latest Reporter column. I don't think there's any magic answer here. People get bored, they get sick, or they get curious. When they dive too far into very unhealthy lifestyles, tragic consequences can result. I think that's what happened in this case.

The church should be the place where people can go to find out how to adjudicate between competing goods. At its best, I think it is exactly that place. The church is not just a place to worship, or receive the Eucharist, or drop your kids off at daycare. It is a culture, a community of people who are bonded by the common confession in Jesus as Lord. And its message is one of life - a hopeful alternative for those who find themselves ensnared by the ways of death.