For What It's Worth by Erin

“To keep death daily before one’s eyes.” (RB 4:47)
 

It’s November. Notice anything different in church? As the church year ends, we consider the end times. Not only of the church year, and the end of the world, but personally too, the end of our own fragile lives. We have a visible reminder of this fragility with the banners that name all our beloved dead who have passed this last year. There but for the grace of God go you and me.

The Rule of St. Benedict (RB) reminds us to “keep death daily before one’s eyes”, “to fear the day of judgement”, “to be in dread of hell”, and most importantly, “to desire eternal life with all the passion of the spirit”. This life is only a drop in the bucket compared to the eternity that we are preparing for. We need to keep our eye on the prize. We need to remind ourselves that we don’t know the “when and how” designated for each of us.

The antidote for this uncertainty is what Benedict suggests. Remind ourselves of the glory of the life we have been given, and to face it’s inevitable end daily so we are not caught unaware. Morning prayer is a thank you for another day of life, and at night we pray as follows: “Lord grant me a quiet night and a perfect end.” Let all say, “AMEN!” +