Are we ready?

 ‘…that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.’ (Luke 21:36)

Luke 21:25-36 (Year C: Advent 1)

Recently I participated in a retreat given by a kind, gentle, witty, compassionate and ‘grounded’ person more than familiar with palliative care and ageing.  At one point in the discourse – following some banter and chat –  participants were asked if: 

They had made will
They had planned their own funeral service
Discussed with their significant other(s) 'end of life' treatment and arrangements in the event of losing full mental capacity

While this does not make for cheerful consideration on a Sunday morning (or any other morning) we are reminded  in the words of a poem by W.B. Yeats (and engraved on what is believed to be his grave in Sligo) to:

Cast a cold eye on

Life, on Death

Horseman pass by

The question of ‘are we ready’ is central to this gripping passage in the Gospel of Luke. The end-event in the life and ministry of Jesus is at hand. A great trial awaits – the final one in the life of Jesus.

None of us knows what lies ahead. But of three things we can be certain:

Ageing
Illness
Death

The questions of when and how are beyond our knowing. The question of why must be approached through a humble mind and open heart. The question of what might lie beyond the horizons of this small world and life is for God alone to show us in his time and in his way.

During this Advent season the Church invites us to watch and pray. The lines of Luke read as follows:

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.

This is hardly compatible with the ‘festive’ season of frenetic shopping, partying and Ho Ho!  But, the truth is that much of this Northern Hemisphere mid-winter Ho Ho is about sub-consciously putting away some of our all-year winter demons. What are they? They concern our worries – our very real worries about:

• Getting old (eventually)
• Facing ill-health of mind or body now or in the future
• Having lost or possibly losing income or employment in the future (it happens to people who retire for example)
• Relationships past, present or future where wounds may run deep
• Facing some external dangers to body, mind or person (not untypical for many millions of people across the globe)..

We find distraction in sundry indulgences from substance attachment to constant affirmation seeking on social media to projects that demand our all and we wonder why we are still missing something. But, in the midst of all this clamour and un-ease (or should we say dis-ease) we are reminded of what Jesus said according to verse 28 of Luke:

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

When faced with uncertainty and, perhaps, a load of concerns and worries we do well to:

• Stay calmly grounded in the here and now
• Remain steadfast in love because this is the only thing that matters
• Keep moving forward towards some goal or destination no matter how dim it seems.

The best way to prepare for death is to live life to the full now and to live it well so that we leave a good memory and example and find our well-being in this thought. To conclude with an other line from W.B. Yeats:

I have spread my dreams under your feet;Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.