"Death comes unexpectedly." Anybody who has seen the movie where Karl Malden's character yells that at the congregation probably knows that he wasn't preaching a funeral service or eulogizing anyone when he said it. Nevertheless, this phrase comes to mind every time I attend a funeral.
Even in yesterday's case where the dearly departed was ill and bedridden for quite some time, the moment of the passing is practically never when we would prefer it (as if anyone would prefer a specific time for a loved one's demise) or even convenient (if such a word could ever be applied to such an occasion). Biblically speaking though, I'm convinced that's what's intended. We are not to know when our world will end so that we will practice eternal vigilance for our soul's sake.
While I know I'm not fully privy to the entirety of the Mind of God, I have it on good authority from the doctors and saints of the church that things are set that way for a reason. This never knowing when the thief will come is a large reason we should live well according to the Father's Will. Of course the primary reason is that we really, truly love God.
If you think about it, the unknown timing of our end frees us from the "housecleaning" mentality that is pervasive when we know guests are coming. You know what I mean: "Uh-oh, the Bickersons are coming by and I still haven't cleaned the downstairs bathroom. Their kids are incapable of finding the toilet with a GPS and spotlight!" (Oddly enough, I actually had a discussion about that with some friends last night.) If we keep our souls in good order, we have no need for a major housecleaning - maybe just restacking some books or light dusting, as it were.
Secondly, it should keep us from the "procrastination" modus operandi as well. In this case, we know we have till next Wednesday to have our spiritual term paper ready, so we can wait till Tuesday night to start working on the outline. And the weekend prior, we're gonna party like there's no tomorrow and there's no God.
"But Jack, aren't these really the same thing?" you might say... (If you did say that, are you all goosefleshy now?) I would posit that they are not the same (Probably saw that coming.) The first scenario often leads to us being so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good. We stay in a continual tizzy about the eventuality of dying that we never really live the mission that we are called to. I'm not saying that we should be out there sinning and getting confessed to gain grace, but we should be out there, and if we, being human, are unable to keep from sin, the we should regularly get penitent and reconcile. It's very cathartic.
In the latter case, we risk the sin of presumption. Simply put, presumption is the intention to take advantage of God's mercy by playing a game with the sacrament of penance and reconciliation after we have lived la vida pecador. In this case, it's as if we are trying to fool God; however regretful we may seem at the time of our penance, the fact that we knowingly engaged in sinful activity without real remorse, and then would seek reconciliation presuming His forgiveness only really serves to separate us further from the Heart of Jesus. In other words, He knows our heart and all its ways and you can't really expect true forgiveness unless there is true repentance and a real willingness to make atonement.
Another danger of living this way is waiting too long, thereby dying in mortal separation from God due to some serious sin. If that happens, the jig is up: you remain separated. There're no mulligans, do-overs, or u-turns.
An equally bad situation awaits those who figure they can't know the end, don't think they can maintain a state of grace and eventually rationalize that they're shouldn't even try. This despairing of the redemptive power of God is a rejection of His authority and Grace and often times leads to worship of other things and even suicide. That rejection of God's gift yields the same separation mentioned in the previous paragraph - Hell.
Silly as it may seem, like the title character from the movie alluded to earlier, we can play the "Glad Game" when facing the tragedies that befall us and our loved ones. In the case of death, it's a terribly difficult thing, especially for those close to us or those we believe pass too young. Yet, when we reflect upon the goodness and light they spread to everyone they contacted, we should rejoice in the possibility of rejoining them with our Lord in the future.
To that end we should all be praying fervently!
Even in yesterday's case where the dearly departed was ill and bedridden for quite some time, the moment of the passing is practically never when we would prefer it (as if anyone would prefer a specific time for a loved one's demise) or even convenient (if such a word could ever be applied to such an occasion). Biblically speaking though, I'm convinced that's what's intended. We are not to know when our world will end so that we will practice eternal vigilance for our soul's sake.
While I know I'm not fully privy to the entirety of the Mind of God, I have it on good authority from the doctors and saints of the church that things are set that way for a reason. This never knowing when the thief will come is a large reason we should live well according to the Father's Will. Of course the primary reason is that we really, truly love God.
If you think about it, the unknown timing of our end frees us from the "housecleaning" mentality that is pervasive when we know guests are coming. You know what I mean: "Uh-oh, the Bickersons are coming by and I still haven't cleaned the downstairs bathroom. Their kids are incapable of finding the toilet with a GPS and spotlight!" (Oddly enough, I actually had a discussion about that with some friends last night.) If we keep our souls in good order, we have no need for a major housecleaning - maybe just restacking some books or light dusting, as it were.
Secondly, it should keep us from the "procrastination" modus operandi as well. In this case, we know we have till next Wednesday to have our spiritual term paper ready, so we can wait till Tuesday night to start working on the outline. And the weekend prior, we're gonna party like there's no tomorrow and there's no God.
"But Jack, aren't these really the same thing?" you might say... (If you did say that, are you all goosefleshy now?) I would posit that they are not the same (Probably saw that coming.) The first scenario often leads to us being so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good. We stay in a continual tizzy about the eventuality of dying that we never really live the mission that we are called to. I'm not saying that we should be out there sinning and getting confessed to gain grace, but we should be out there, and if we, being human, are unable to keep from sin, the we should regularly get penitent and reconcile. It's very cathartic.
In the latter case, we risk the sin of presumption. Simply put, presumption is the intention to take advantage of God's mercy by playing a game with the sacrament of penance and reconciliation after we have lived la vida pecador. In this case, it's as if we are trying to fool God; however regretful we may seem at the time of our penance, the fact that we knowingly engaged in sinful activity without real remorse, and then would seek reconciliation presuming His forgiveness only really serves to separate us further from the Heart of Jesus. In other words, He knows our heart and all its ways and you can't really expect true forgiveness unless there is true repentance and a real willingness to make atonement.
Another danger of living this way is waiting too long, thereby dying in mortal separation from God due to some serious sin. If that happens, the jig is up: you remain separated. There're no mulligans, do-overs, or u-turns.
An equally bad situation awaits those who figure they can't know the end, don't think they can maintain a state of grace and eventually rationalize that they're shouldn't even try. This despairing of the redemptive power of God is a rejection of His authority and Grace and often times leads to worship of other things and even suicide. That rejection of God's gift yields the same separation mentioned in the previous paragraph - Hell.
Silly as it may seem, like the title character from the movie alluded to earlier, we can play the "Glad Game" when facing the tragedies that befall us and our loved ones. In the case of death, it's a terribly difficult thing, especially for those close to us or those we believe pass too young. Yet, when we reflect upon the goodness and light they spread to everyone they contacted, we should rejoice in the possibility of rejoining them with our Lord in the future.
To that end we should all be praying fervently!
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