Contemplating "Death Day"

Last week’s Gospel took on the theme of Christian vigilance. “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” As Christians, we must always keep in mind the real possibility that Christ’s glorious second coming could be today, tomorrow, or very soon. But, it’s also quite possible that many of us will die before that happens. What that means for us is this: in one form or another, an encounter with Christ is ever-approaching. “Like a thief in the night…”

At the Archangel Gabriel School festival last week, the parish hosted an evangelization booth and a youth ministry rock climbing wall. We were offering free cookies, but people had to answer a question first. They could choose an easy one (e.g., “How was your day? What’s your favorite color?”) or a hard one (e.g., “What’s the meaning of life? Who is God to you?”). 

My go-to hard question was: “You have 24 hours left to live. What are you doing with your last day?” and I heard all types of answers: “I’d spend time with my family;” “I’d go to Germany;” or “I’d drive my car as fast as it can go on the highway.”  Some were pious: “I’d go to Church;” “I’d go to Confession;” “I’d pray.” I high-fived those people. Some were pretty impious. Word for word, two different people said to me, without missing a beat, “I’d rob a bank.” This is concerning!!

But there was one kind of response that I loved. It went something like this: “I’d be doing what I’m doing right now,“ or “I wouldn’t change a thing.” One kid simply said, “I would play.”  These people got it. They understood something very important. The true Christian always lives in such a way that they would not blush to see this moment, this hour, this day be their last. They wouldn’t change a thing, because they live their lives ready for their deaths.

We’re not all there yet. St. John Eudes recommends a great way to get there, though: death day. Set aside one day every month - and I mean set it aside, mark it on the calendar, and don’t change it - and on this day, act as if it were your last. Are you right with God? Is there someone you need to forgive? Do you need to be forgiven? Do people know how much they mean to you? Is there something you’ve always wanted to do? Are your finances in order? Most fundamentally, are you ready to stand before Jesus Christ? I do mine on the third Saturday of the month. Some of us have a long way to go to really feel “ready” to meet Christ, and that’s okay. This day can be a regular chance to work away at all the little things. In God’s goodness, perhaps it will be one of these very days that He does take us to Himself!

This practice will make you a Saint, and so expect barriers and difficulties from the Evil One. But the work is worth it.

In the end, when Christ comes, He’ll meet two kinds of people: those scrambling to prepare at the last minute, and those who lived in such a way that, in all peace of conscience, they wouldn’t change a thing.