"Stay awake...for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." Mt 24: 42,44
Almost always we listen to the scriptural injunction to "stay awake" and, because of its context, we hear the Lord telling us to be ready to die. It is a hard reminder, but an important one. None of us likes to think about death, although as we age, it is all around us. Our friends and family are dying and often the friends we are losing to death are younger than us. Death is nearer than we like to think, but as our Buddhist friends remind us, anyone who has not thought about his or her own death has not really begun to live
At the same time, Jesus' reminder to be ready for God to call us home is not only about dying, it is about living. When we spend so much time denying death, we miss opportunities for a fuller life, and Jesus condemns this in all people. That Americans have two to three times as many cosmetics as they can use at any given time is a scandal. Wanting to appear as if we are not aging not only takes too much of our time, it can cheat us of a full life. Aging is natural and only when we embrace it as another part of our spiritual journey will we be able to enjoy and celebrate life at every stage.
Today, pray for the grace to live each day with all its struggles and triumphs.
Do you have spiritual practices that help you "stay awake" to what life brings?
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