As we pray for the souls in purgatory this month, let us remember our death that is to come and prepare for it accordingly.
“It is only through coming to terms with the reality and inevitability of death in time that we can come to appreciate the true significance and value of life in eternity.” -Meditations on Death by Thomas A Kempis
This book is by the same author of Imitation of Christ. This is a very short book. The title of the book may sound morbid, but the content is far from it. The book reminds us of appreciating the gift of life now, of looking forward to, and of preparing for the life to come after death.
Despite our modern culture portraying the desire to cheat death as some sort of achievement, it is a futile effort, because time waits for no one, and eventually death comes for us all. For me, this book reminds us to accept death as a part of life and to get our affairs in order spiritually.
The discussion of death and our spiritual life is serious, and hopefully as we continue to pray for the faithfully departed this month, we are also taking the time to reflect on our own death as Kempis suggests in the book.
There is nothing earth shattering about what Kempis writes in this book. As Catholics, we have all been reminded of this from our pastors and through our readings and learning. Except when it comes to death, it’s a difficult topic, so many of us just ignore it all together. Thus, this prodding is needed each year. I don’t think anyone will ever be fully prepare for death, but hopefully we’re all making an effort to help get ourselves in the right path.