A Catholic priest has gone viral after giving an emotional homily about life and death in the wake of the Learjet 60 crash in Florida on November 1.
The plane was flying from Austin, Texas, to the Bahamas on November 1 when it crashed in Florida, killing all nine people on board.
Those on board included Adam Robinson, 44; his wife, Helen Sharp; their children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2; their nanny, Anita Maria Ramirez Cetina; family friends Rachael Reed and Charmi Fehr; captain Jeff Gregory, 55; and co-pilot Nathalia Gadelha Filgueiras, 20.
The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report on the crash in about a month, investigators said last week. However, determining the probable cause could take another one to two years, an agency spokesperson told CNN.
Florida Learjet 60 plane crash
In a viral homily recorded and shared on YouTube earlier this week, a Catholic priest said he had listened to the recording and described the pilots’ final words as “horrifying.”
Per Fox, the pilot was heard talking about icing, precipitation, and moderate turbulence before the plane suddenly lost altitude and began falling rapidly.
“Minus 47 degrees Celsius. We’re managing the ice, but it is moderate turbulence,” the pilot said. Now we’re picking up precipitation. We need to climb.”
Air traffic control instructed the plane to “climb and maintain” its altitude, but moments later, the pilot reported that they were descending.
“We’re descending 8,000. Mayday, mayday. We’re descending 10,000 feet per minute. Declaring emergency 722 Bravo Delta. We are in an oversea condition, descending 20,000 feet per minute,” the pilot said.
“We’re gonna crash into the ground.”
The ATC responded, “November two Bravo Delta. I’m here with you. Talk to me.”
The pilot continued, “We are descending 22,000 feet, and we are banking 60 degrees.”
The pilot could then be heard screaming before the recording fell silent.
Priest reacts to Florida plane crash
During his homily, the priest urged listeners to look beyond what they see on the surface, saying there is often much more beneath it.
“The reason why it’s grabbing so much attention is the realization that pretty much all of us are going to have that same experience of being 10 seconds out from our death,” he said.
“You know, over the last five weeks, I’ve been at the bedside of five people. I would say the moment that they realized that they were out of time… whether it’s on a conscious level or a subconscious level, it’s always a surreal moment, and always surrounding is the question of, ‘Am I prepared to die?'”
The priest went on to share that one of the people he had sat with in their final moments was his own mother. He also referenced St. Alphonsus Liguori, an Italian bishop from the 18th century who wrote a book about preparing for death.
“He says it is foolish to not think about your death. It is greater folly to think of it and not prepare for it.”
“Develop a personal love for God”
He went on to outline two things people should do to prepare for death, the first being to “make peace with God.”
“I wonder sometimes of how many people who come to church every Sunday are carrying with them unconfessed and unrepented mortal sin.
“Maybe 20, 30, or 50 years. And maybe you’ve convinced yourself that because it happened so long ago, it doesn’t matter anymore.
“Please hear this. The passing of time does not forgive you of your sins. The passing of time does not forgive you of your sins,” he said.
“You are not prepared for your death if you have not made peace with God.”
As for the second, he urged people to “develop a personal love for God.”
To illustrate his point, the priest referred to the biblical story of the ten virgins, in which only half bring enough oil for their lamps while waiting for Christ’s return. He explained that the oil stands for an individual’s love for God, something no one can inherit or take from another person’s faith, even within their own family.
Referring back to the final moments aboard the Learjet, he noted that the pilot’s recited the Lord’s Prayer, and said this showed how God’s mercy remains within reach for as long as we are alive.
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