The story is told about a priest in old Ireland who went to a parishioner’s wake and was surprised to see the coffin on the floor. He scolded the family members and told them to honor the dead by putting the coffin atop some chairs. “Let’s give our deceased brother three chairs!” he said. Quite puzzled, unsure of what he meant, one family member hesitatingly began, “Hip, hip hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!”—until the whole household was cheering: “Hip, hip, hooray!”
***
In today’s Gospel (Lk.12,32-48), Jesus reminds us about the uncertainty of life and the suddenness of death. We do not know where, when, or how we will go. So, we must be ready to go anywhere, anytime, for we do not know the place or the hour. If the Lord calls us today, tonight, tomorrow, next week, or next month, would we be ready to face Him? We must also be prepared, for at any hour that we do not expect, the Son of man will come.
***
Too focused on our worldly agenda? Let us not forget that there is eternity that awaits us. Let us not forget that life is not so much a financial journey, a popularity journey, a health or a beauty journey, as a journey to God’s heart. Indeed, what does it profit us to gain the whole world, and in the end lose our soul?
***
I have witnessed so many “sudden deaths” in my 62 years of life, especially in my 36 years of priestly ministry. I have been there to comfort the parents of a dead newborn child; I have prayed at the death bed of a 98-year-old. Whatever, wherever, whenever, the message for all of us is to be ready when the Lord calls us to see Him face to face.
***
Fr. Vic Cisneros, SVD, our superior in the SVD Mission Center in San Jose, Batangas, could have died last July 19 when his motorcycle was bumped as he was on his way to hear confessions at the Batangas City basilica. If he had died then, he would have died in the line of duty. He is alive, waiting for surgery to be performed on his left femur at the National Orthopedic Hospital. For now, his mission is not yet accomplished. His mission is to suffer in pain for others. Praying that the person who bumped him would at least be given the grace and the generosity to help him.
***
For those who think that their future is secure because they have enough, or more than enough, for their worldly provisions, think again. Your money can give you assurance for your worldly comfort, but all your wealth can do nothing when the Lord summons you unannounced, to give Him your final accounting.
***
Here’s a good reminder for those who want to provide for the future of their children and grandchildren and beyond, to the point of being stingy to others: “Stop worrying about your children and grandchildren. You have done your best for them in giving them education and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn money, as you have. Leave to them the skills and the road maps, and give them the chance to make the journey, which they, not you, should make.”
***
At the wake of 91-year-old Domingo Cadano, I asked the nine children during the Mass what character of their father they would like to “franchise” and continue to pass on. Indeed, what legacy, aside from material wealth, can we leave behind long after we are gone?
***
When we finally leave this world, will we leave with cheers? Or jeers? And when we have crossed over into the great beyond, will the angels greet us with cheers? Or jeers? The choice is ours, by the lives we live.
***
The call of our Lord, the call of Christianity, has been and still is this: that we become loving and caring, not robbing and killing, persons. It is the Lord whom we serve. It is His commandments that we must obey and follow.
***
Fr. Jerome Marquez, SVD, parish priest of Sacred Heart Parish in Kamuning, Quezon City, is inviting everyone to a “Sacred Heart Congress” on Aug. 27, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., to widen and deepen our knowledge of and love for the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The invited speakers are His Eminence, Cardinal Luis Tagle, Dr. Josephine Lumitao, Fr. Jojo Caballes, SVD, and Fr. Lino Nicasio, SVD. For inquiries, please call 929-0419 or 415-4353.
***
Think about this: “When through one person, a little more love and goodness, a little more light and truth come into the world, then that man’s life has meaning.” (Alfred Delp)
***
Today, this moment, let us pray for the grace to live meaningful lives, and for the grace of a happy death. Let us entrust our life, and the end of our life, to Him who gave us life. From Him we came, to Him we go back at the end of our life. Let us ask our Blessed Mother to be with us in our journey, and to bring us safely home to our final destination, heaven.
***
A moment with the Lord:
Lord, remind us that more than the cheers or jeers of this world, what matters more are the cheers or jeers that will meet me in the next world. Amen.