Francisco I. Buchart D.
“Have you seen the dead leaves fall in the sad autumn twilight? Thus souls fall each day into eternity. One day, the falling leaf will be you.” Saint Josemaría (The Way 736)
With permission, I would like to share with you, irrefutable evidence that has led me to reflect on life in a different way: I am going to die! It’s a situation I must face, whether I like it or not. How short is existence, even when one lives for many years! What a profound truth was affirmed by the one who said: “No one will come out of this life alive.”
“Meditating on death gives us a good dose of reality. It is very easy for us to believe that the fleeting moments of our lives are permanent.” (Matthew Heynen, OP). Isn’t it true that when we perceive death as imminent, our way of seeing life changes? Many things that until yesterday seemed of vital importance to us, today, in the face of death, seem less relevant to us, and we realize that perhaps it was not worth so much effort and so much attachment.
I am aware that I must be prepared lest I lack “oil” and be left “out” like a “fool.” I must organize my files and review my notes for the final exam, which does not allow for repair or appeal. Will I approve it? I have a limited time to try to fill my hands and be able to present something to the Lord, who has entrusted me to multiply the talents received, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty… I remember a verse from a song by León Gieco: “I only ask God… may dry death not find me empty and alone, without having done enough.” Of course, I cannot achieve it by my own strength alone; I trust in the grace and abundant mercy of God.
How many omissions! How many things I have left undone. If I had another chance… If I was given more time… I would like to have done and loved much more, but I can’t turn back time or relive what has already happened. Of course, “If I haven’t been able to have a good beginning, I can always have a good ending” (John Maxwell). I must take advantage of the little or the much that I have left, without wasting a moment. I don’t want to be distracted. I need to always be ready, because -perhaps- the moment will come sooner than expected. I must reconcile with God, with my family, friends and enemies, and even with myself. There is no point in postponing what is important or taking “my time”: Today and now!
I’m going to die… and, with your permission, so are you. When? Don’t know. Now we are apparently fine, but death is an inevitable event, and it is foolish not to face it now. We should not wait until we are sick or receive an irreversible diagnosis to give the importance it deserves to this fact that puts an end to our time on earth. What would happen if I died suddenly? I`m not Pessimistic. No! I’m realist!
A few years ago, a colleague suffered a serious accident. With his neck brace on and still with the “scare” present, he told the incident to a good priest friend: – Father… I almost died. The priest looked at him calmly and answered: ─ And if you had died, what? Are you in God’s hands or not? Although his answer may seem harsh at first glance, it fits perfectly with reality. What happens is that today’s society does not like to think about death, which, in addition to being irrational and absurd, is immensely stupid.
Without fear of life and without fear of death. “For ‘others’, death is a stumbling block, a source of terror. For us, death — Life — is an encouragement and a stimulus. For them it is the end: for us, the beginning.” San Josemaría (The Way 738). Hope!
