December 10/Second Sunday of Advent
Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness? ~ 2 Peter 3.11
Memento Mori (Latin for “Remember you must die”) is the title of a 1959 novel by the redoubtable 20th-century Scottish author Muriel Spark, who is a longtime favorite author of mine. The plot revolves around a group of elderly upper-class Britons who begin to receive anonymous phone calls, each in a different voice, in which the caller informs them quite civilly, “Remember you must die.” The mysterious antagonist is never identified; a detective brought in to solve the case concludes, “in my opinion the offender is Death itself.” Surprisingly funny given its theme, the novel indeed revolves around the inevitability of death – a truth that the principal characters in the novel, and that many of us today, try to avoid thinking about. But instead of deflecting the reality that death will inevitably come for each of us, we might better devote our time and attention to answering Peter’s question in today’s second reading: given that “everything is to be dissolved,” what sort of persons ought we to be as we live out our days? What is truly important? What do we seek? Whom do we love? How are we to conduct ourselves to ensure that we are leading lives of “holiness and godliness?” Do we love God with all our hearts and minds and strength, praying, or meditating, or seeking to spend time in His presence daily? Do we love our neighbors as ourselves, through acts of kindness, helpfulness, and generosity? Whether we wish to acknowledge it or not, we are all on the road to the end of our mortal lives; with the grace of God accompanying us, let us strive to make it a rich, purposeful, holy journey.
Lord of life and death, Make me thankful for the gift of each day, and mindful of how I use it. Amen.
To hear the Morgan State University Choir sing “Lord, Make Me More Holy,” click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVQLs1wvlRI
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121023.cfm
