The Lord IS coming!
Have you ever thought about your own death? Did you wonder when it will be and where you will be? Did you ever think that you might die when you least expect it? You are probably thinking that I am being morbid. I’m not being morbid, Monastic and Religious life kept death at the front of their thoughts, especially in the past. Why would they want to think about death you ask, because Jesus said: “You know not the day or the hour.” “I come like a thief in the night.”
All of us need to be aware that the day, the time and the place of our death is already known to God. All of us you who are reading this and all of those who are not will die. There is not one person on earth who is immortal. Yes, we will live forever, but not by our own power. Jesus overcame the power of satan, sin and death and gave us the hope of eternal life. Death was destroyed and life is victorious because of the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
However, we must be aware that we are going to die and in the not too distant future. Everyone on this earth today will be gone in the next 100 years, give or take a few years. So, why do we need to know this? We need to reflect on our finite life, so that we can make the most of today. Today, I will live my baptismal call to the fullest, I will be the best priest that God has called me to be, I will be the best wife or husband, mother, father, son, daughter, student, trash collector, secretary, … that I can be, all for the glory of God and for the spread of His kingdom.
The sold reason that we are on this earth is to “know, love and serve” the Lord all the days of our life. We tend to live the best life when we know that our time is limited. So once again I ask you: Have you ever thought about your own death?
How do we know if we are truly doing our best, in serving and loving God, particularly when one deals with chronic illness. Illness makes doing simple daily tasks, even thinking and praying and reading difficult. Illness can cause a very hopeful and faithfilled person to feel depressed and lonely, even with the knowing that God is always present. One can feel useless at times. How does one gauge his performance as a servant of God, when his life is changed by illness?