A year before Teilhard de Chardinās death, his nephew heard him say, āI should like to die on the day of Resurrection.ā He said he would take that as a sign the Lord approved of his lifeās work. The next year, on April 10, 1955, when Teilhard died, it was Easter Sunday.
On this 70th anniversary of his death, as we remember the sentiment overheard by his nephew, we also recollect Teilhardās contemplation on death, found in his essay, āThe Heart of Matterā: āLord, since with every instinct of my being and through all the changing fortunes of my life, it is you whom I have ever sought, you whom I have set at the heart of universal matter, it will be in a resplendence which shines through all things and in which all things are ablaze, that I shall have the felicity of closing my eyes.ā
Our gratitude for the witness of his life and his legacy of thought is well-expressed in this prayer from the Episcopal Liturgical lectionary for today, the Feast of Teilhard de Chardin: āWe give you thanks, Creator God , for your servant Teilhard, and for all those who help us to see you in your universe.ā
