杏MAP导航

(Vatican Radio) With today鈥檚 readings, the Church invites us to reflect on the end of the world, but also on the end of our own lives. 杏MAP导航 Francis based his homily on the Gospel reading, where the Lord speaks about the daily lives of men and women in the days before the great Flood, or in the days of Lot 鈥� they lived normal lives, eating and drinking, doing business, marrying. But the 鈥渄ay of the manifestation of the Lord鈥� came 鈥� and things changed.

The Church, our Mother, wants us to take time to consider our own death, the 杏MAP导航 said. We are all used to the routine of daily life. We think things will never change. But, 杏MAP导航 Francis continued, the day will come when we will be called by the Lord. For some it will be unexpected; for others it might come after a long illness 鈥� but the call will come. And then, the 杏MAP导航 said, there will be another surprise from the Lord: eternal life.

This is why the Church asks us to 鈥減ause for a moment, take a moment to think about death.鈥� We should not become accustomed to earthly life, as though it were eternity. 鈥淎 day will come,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, echoing the words of Jesus in the Gospel, 鈥渨hen you will be taken away鈥� to go with the Lord. And so it is good to reflect upon the end of our life.

鈥淭hinking about death is not a gruesome fantasy,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said. 鈥淲hether it is gruesome or not depends on me, and how I think about it 鈥� but what will be, will be.鈥� When we die, we will meet the Lord 鈥� 鈥渢his is the beauty of death, it will be an encounter with the Lord, it is Him coming to meet you, saying, 鈥淐ome, come, [you who are] blessed by My Father, come with me.鈥�

The Holy Father concluded his homily with a story about an elderly priest who was not feeling well. When he went to the doctor, the doctor told him he was sick. 鈥淧erhaps we鈥檝e caught it in time to treat it,鈥� the doctor told him. 鈥淲e will try this treatment, and if this doesn鈥檛 work, we鈥檒l try something else. And if that doesn鈥檛 work, we will begin to walk [together], and I will accompany you to the very end.鈥�

Like the doctor, we too, the 杏MAP导航 said, must accompany one another on this journey. We must do everything we can in order to assist the sick; but always looking toward our final destiny, to the day when the Lord will come to take us with Himself to our heavenly home.