Some years ago a priest friend had an aneurysm on the brain while he was saying Mass. They rushed him to the hospital in danger of death. He was only 50 years old. After a long recovery he was fully restored. He told me that he was like King Hezekiah and had prayed to God for his health. And like Hezekiah he heard Lord say to him: I will heal you: I will add fifteen years to your life. When he was turning 65 I asked him if the clock was ticking. He answered, “I’ll just ask for another 15.” It must have worked then, and again, and again since he lived to be 95. Even though we know that death is before us all and even for those who believe that this life is a mere prelude to the fuller and richer life to come staring death in the face is daunting. This led to the practice in ancient and medieval times of “memento mori,” reflecting explicitly on the inevitability of death. This is not morbid but a reminder to live each day fully. Wring every grace out of life.
JULY192024
By Church Staff
