Lk. 12: 32-48
“I was thinking about how I would like my funeral to be. First, some intense prayer and then a great celebration for everyone. Don’t forget to pray but don’t forget to celebrate either!” This was the last wish of Sr. Cecilia Maria, a discalced Carmelite nun who dedicated her life to prayer and contemplative life. She was diagnosed with lung cancer and in a matter of time cancer conquered her entire body; but, not her mind, which remained serene to the end. She offered all her sufferings to the Lord and entered her eternal abode on June 23, 2016 at the age of 42. The world came to know the story of this cloistered nun because of her cheerful face on her deathbed… a joy unknown to the world…
‘Death becomes the best meditation on life.’ On her deathbed, she was convinced of her afterlife and while she was alive she prepared herself for this greatest moment of her consecration… the intimate encounter with her beloved spouse Jesus… Like the wise virgin she lit her lamp and waited for him… Death is a reality that none of us want to talk or reflect on. Why is it so? Most of us have the fear of death. However, we always postpone our preparation or the very thought about death to tomorrow….
Christ through his death conquered death and made available the eternity for us. He wanted us to be accountable for the gifts that we have received from him. Today’s gospel passage alarms us about this reality of our life. We should be ready to settle our life account with Jesus any time. Jesus says: “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of man will come.” We can’t stop or postpone this encounter with the Lord… he is on time. If we glance through the life story of every saint, we can find one common factor: the way they prepared to encounter their Lord or let’s put it bluntly – to face death? For them it was not the end of their journey but a beginning… All of them died with a smile on their face because they were prepared and ready to encounter the Lord. Above all, they wanted to be with their beloved forever…
I would like to conclude this reflection with the death announcement of Sr. Cecilia by her fellow sisters of Monastery in Santa Fe: “Jesus! Just two lines to let you know that our dearly beloved sister gently fell asleep in the Lord, after such a painful illness, always borne with joy and her surrender to her Divine Spouse. We send you all our love, grateful for your support and prayer during this entire time, so painful yet so wonderful at the same time. We believe she flew directly to heaven, but we also ask you to not cease commending her to your prayers, so from heaven she may repay you. A big hug from her Sisters in Santa Fe.”
Let us live the way we want to die…