Mortality 

   “Consider each day your mortality.”  These words from the Rule of St. Benedict warn us that we do not know the day on which we will die, so we need to prepare as if it is today.

   Events sometimes occur that bring the fact of our mortality into focus, forcing us to recognize that we will, at some point, die.  It might be barely avoiding what may have been a deadly car crash, or perhaps a medical issue that has arisen.  Those in the military are aware that they have chosen to accept death if necessary to protect the country they love.

   But what is death?  I like to think of it as a passing through a doorway.  On this side is the physical life we live which must come to an end and on the other side is eternal life.  A simple way of thinking of it, but one I think is easy to understand and may help us to prepare for going through that door.

   When that day comes and we must pass from this life to the next there will only two paths, the one to heaven and the other to hell.  At that point there is no longer a choice; eternity has been determined by the way we have lived our life.

   Those who say this life is all there is and there is no heaven or hell, no God or eternal life, need to ask themselves a simple question; “What if I’m wrong?”  If we live as though there is no God, we can’t expect to be welcomed into His kingdom once we die, even if we didn’t believe that God and heaven exist.

   For those who have tried their best to live according to God’s will, the scene will be quite different.  They will hear those beautiful words of Christ,  “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.  Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matt 25: 34).