Do we know what is going to happen tomorrow?
Do we even know what is going to happen in the next five minutes?
We like to think that we do. After all that has happened this year, though–all the tragedies, all the wars, all the violence, all the suffering innocent people have endured–can we really make that claim?
In the Gospel at Mass on Thursday morning, Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.”
This is the truth. We simply do not know. We do not have control over the past: it is already done. We do not know what is in our future: it hasn’t happened yet. We live right now and at no other time. We can control what we are doing right now and at no other time.
So, what are with doing with this precious moment? How are we using this precious moment of right now to grow closer to God and prepare ourselves for eternity? How are we using this precious moment of right now to grow closer to our families, to bring our friends back to the God who loves them, to bring the Good News to all the world? How are we using this precious moment of right now to achieve the goals we have for this world and the next?
When I joined the Knights of Columbus, years before joining seminary, I was instructed to remember two phrases: “tempus fugit” and “memento mori.” “Time is fleeting” and “remember death.” These two truths are certain. We cannot hold on to time, we cannot slow it down, we cannot stop it. Then, one day, before we know it, we will enter eternity. If we put God, our families, and our dreams off until tomorrow, we are likely to find ourselves looking back at our lives and wondering where all the time went.
We do not know the day that God will bring us home. What are we doing right now to be prepared for that moment? What are we doing right now so that we will one day hear those words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy!”
Tempus fugit.
Memento mori.
Fr. Matt