Walk by Faith not by Sight

On the Saturday afternoon of June 9, 2007, when I got the call that John "had joined the angels," I had yet to read the devotional from my book, A Catholic Woman's Book of Days by Amy Welborn. In fact, the book stayed on my nightstand, unopened until my return from John's funeral a week later. On the 16th, late at night, I began to read the entries I'd missed and this was the entry for June 9th.

So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the
body we are away from the Lord -- for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do
have confidence and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the
Lord.

--2 Cor 5:6-8

And the commentary:

A friend of mine once gave her opinion of the concept of
reincarnation. "I love life, but really, once is enough. I'll be
ready to be with God and stay there!"

In addition to being such an appropriate reading for the circumstances (as John's body had become such a prison for him), Second Corinthians is a favorite Letter from the Bible for John. The beginning of this letter has Paul explaining why we suffer.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our
brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are
throughout Achaia:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our
affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For just
as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is
abundant through Christ.
But if we are afflicted, it is for your
comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also
suffer;
and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are
sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

--2 Cor 1