Noone got to say good-bye....

My Uncle died yesterday. It was pretty unexpected and out-of-the-blue so my entire family in Italy is in shock. His wife and daughter are destraught.
The funeral is on Tuesday.

A 19 year old student got knocked off his bike yesterday here in my town while cycling to lectures. He was killed.
I cant even begin to imagine how his family must feel.

It's made me think a lot about death.

The only thing in life that we can be certain to experience, is death.
But even then, we can't know when it will happen, only that it will.
It makes it seem all the more important to make the most of every single second of life.

How much time and effort every day do I waste by caring about the transient, passing and superficial things which will die when I do?

How often have I neglected to spend the same effort and time on the things which have eternal value?

How negligent have I been towards Him who loves me more than I could ever comprehend? He who suffered for me and is pained by every one of my selfish thoughts and deeds?


As someone once said 'life it not a dress-rehersal....' this IS the real thing! This is it! What we do or don't do now is what will determine our eternal resting-place.

It matter what I do and say and think today, because tomorrow I will be asked to justify my choices in life, and if they weren't each done with a pure heart, with unadulterated love and in imitation of Christ Himself.....

Yes, God is loving and His mercy unfathomable and endless, but He is also Just, and He does not simply overlook sins and offences. Each one matters. We see in the lives of the Saints the true horror they had of sin. They recognised it for what it is, and how sad it is when I try to justify sins as being 'necessary', 'normal', 'healthy', 'understandable' or somehow 'excusable'.

Why do I consider myself exempt from God's eternal and unchanging justice?!


Furthermore, HE defines what are sins and offences, not me! Not my friend. Not doctors in the hospital. Not the media.
His has put His Holy Catholic Church on Earth in charge of being His earthly voice and of proclaiming His eternal will. The Church therefore is the only one on Earth we can trust, because, as Christ's very body, she proclaims His truth in everything she teaches.


I have decided to be more ferverant in listening to Jesus' instructions in the Gospels about being prepared for death, because "it will come like a thief in the night" when I least expect it.
I dont want to live my life as if death won't happen, and as if death won't matter.

I've decided to put things into perspective; I will strive to change all those times when I act like me, myself and I are all that matters. I want to be more generous in my love for God and others.

I'm also going to increase my frequency of going to Reconcilliation from the current once a month, to once every 2 weeks (or every week if I can).
I find that after every Reconcilliation I am more sensitive to sins and notice the more subtle habitual sins, and God grants so many graces through Reconcilliation that give me the courage to change and grow away from the world, and closer to Him.

*sighs*

~Eternal rest grant unto him Oh Lord, and may your perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen ~