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Over the past several weeks I have either read during the morning/evening Liturgy of the Hours or heard several sayings that deal with coming to the end of one’s life.  Having contemplated on these sayings and discussing them with Lusica I decided to research and explore in more detail.

Now, many of you are probably thinking, “Oh dear, I don’t want to hear about death and the end of one’s life.”  However, we must all remember that we are spiritually training like an athlete training for a race where the end of the race is “victory”.  St. Paul writes about our spiritual race in 1 Corinthians 9:25 to the track style of racing and the award received at that time to the victor.  St. Paul states, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”  What is that crown that lasts forever?  Everlasting happiness with God our Father in Heaven.

There is a song that many of you have probably heard and are familiar with.  The song is by Tim McGraw, “Live like you were dying”.  It has several lyrics that can provide us with some good advice to live our lives since, with the dawn of each day, we are getting closer to God’s will achieving our true reward.

The lyrics say …. “I loved deeper, And I spoke sweeter, And I gave forgiveness I’d been denying myself.  I was finally the husband, That most of the time I wasn’t; And I became a friend a friend would like to have; And all of a sudden going fishin’ Wasn’t such an imposition; And I went three times that year I lost my dad; I finally read the Good Book, and I took a good, long, hard look At what I’d do if I could do it all again. ‘

In other words, do not wait until you know your time here on earth is being cut short to love God, your family and those who are close to you!  And by the way, the lyric of the son I like best is “I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu”!

St. Paul again writes that through suffering and coming close to death is when we come closest to Jesus and his suffering.

St Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:9, “It is in weakness that we are more apt to trust in Christ because we realize that what we accomplish is not of our own doing, but the grace of Christ is working in us. Furthermore, it is in our weakness and suffering that we grow in humility and cannot pride ourselves in our accomplishments. We suffer to make us rely, not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.”

Finally, the one saying that really struck a chord with me was what I heard this week at Monsignor Makarewicz’s farewell – “keep your fork”.  I had already viewed Marilyn’s great array of wonderful desserts and made sure my fork was saved.  

My understanding with this saying is that upon attending any Church socials and/or potluck dinners, when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say to you “keep your fork.” It meant that something wonderful and better was coming such as a velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful and with substance!  And then I read a story of a terminally ill lady who told her pastor, in preparation for her funeral, she wanted to have a fork in her hand while she lie in interment – so all would know that “the best is yet to come”!

With keeping and using our “spiritual fork” each day to the very end with loving God, loving our family, and loving those in our lives, we all know that we have won the race and yes, the best is yet to come!

Blessings – Dcn Jim