A Sudden Death

This past week my uncle passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. It was the first sudden death that happened in our extended family and a profound reminder that God alone only knows when our days on this earth are done. Our days are not guaranteed.

The family tragedy called to mind the realization that any one of us, including myself, could be taken at any time. We know not the day nor the hour, and so we must prepare our hearts and souls for that inevitable time. 

We hear that message consistently this time of year leading up to Advent, but truthfully, I don’t think we always take it seriously. It seems too far away in the distance to be a priority for us. We hear it and then we go back to daily life as we know it. Thus, we’re in danger of not being prepared.

Today’s first reading reminds us that in the last days of life on earth, some will be seen as the horror and disgrace they are by cooperating with evil and turning others away from God and the ways of God. Others will be seen as those who shine like stars who were among the wise and have led many to justice. 

But what about those middle people - those who don’t necessarily do either or maybe some of both? Many of us fall in that category… We do some evil and we do some good. Perhaps the lesson for most of us is that we need to do a little more to move into the wise stars group. We need to shine our light a little more. We need to care more about leading others to justice. We need to repent a bit more of the ways in which we are sinning and leading others away from the Lord.

Which will you be? The one who turns others to evil or justice? It is a choice we make each day through our words and actions. It is a choice we make in the major decisions of our lives.

The day I die I want to be known as a friend of God and among those wise – this I know for certain. In this time of preparation for my eventual death, now the question is: What do I need to do to be among those? 1) I need to pray and maintain a strong relationship with God. 2) I need to do the things Jesus would do to work for justice in this passing life.

A sudden death is a hard lesson of today’s mass readings, but perhaps one we all need once in awhile to wake us up to the reality of our mortality and help us decide who we want to really be when our last day comes to pass.