Memento Mori
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Death is a disturbing reality of life. That is the reason why many of us do not think about it too much or take it into consideration. But if you delve into it more closely, death determines your eternal state, which is either hell or heaven. On this first Sunday of Advent, the Church focuses our attention on the reality of death. In our lives, we experience different types of preparation because we are waiting for something to happen. But how many of us are preparing for our own deaths so that we can enter the Kingdom of God, which, if you observe more closely, is important above all things? Thus, let us meditate on the things we should consider in relation to death.
The first thing we should consider is our conscience. According to Pope Benedict XVI, the two great heresies that are prevailing in our times are relativism and the loss of the sense of sin. This is caused by our negligent examination of conscience, which determines good and evil. Review the day, beginning with the moment we wake up, and replay the events of the day in our minds, considering what we did wrong and right. This will help us know ourselves. Afterwards, a sense of sin and vigilance will flow within us.
The second thing we should consider is the confession. The examination of conscience prepares us for sacramental confession. "To the soul cut off from God by its own sin, by mortal sin, the sacrament of Reconciliation restores the sanctifying grace that has been lost. Reconciliation removes the barrier that has kept the Holy Spirit outside and once again gives entrance to God's life-giving love" (Primer). It frees us from the burden of sin that we carry in our hearts. The forgiveness of sin restores man’s original state, which will be rewarded in the next life.
The third thing we should consider is the Church. After you examine your conscience and go to confession, you now have the Church, your family, your body, and your loved ones. Being part of the mystical body of Christ, we have Christ as our head. His grace is flowing through His body; the Church and our cooperative efforts must work to receive that grace that is freely given. The grace of God will help us to build the kingdom of God here on earth, wherein Our Lord’s love reigns and is present throughout.
Death is terrifying, yet death is a reality that proves life has meaning because, as Ven. Fulton Sheen said, it reveals that the virtues and goodness practiced within time do not find their completion except in eternity. Heaven is our true home. In order for us to go to heaven, we must die, and yet, because of our concupiscence, we do not clearly realize that. Let us examine our consciences, go to confession, stay rooted in the Church, and remember that we will die.
