Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Next Moment Is Not Yet Ours

     “Who can assure us that we will be alive tomorrow? Let us listen to the voice of our conscience, to the voice of the royal prophet: “Today, if you hear God’s voice, harden not your heart.” Let us not put off from one moment to another (what we should do) because (the next moment) is not yet ours.”  St. Padre Pio


     After the unexpected illness of my husband, the quick death of a dear friend’s husband, and the sudden, serious illness of a friend’s daughter, I believe that God is trying to drive this message home to me.


     Jesus tells us in Holy Scripture: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Am I awake? Are you awake? How does one live when awakened to this reality: the reality of meeting our Maker!

     According to Padre Pio, whose feast we celebrate today, listening to our conscience is vitally important in achieving this goal. We need to be attentive to that “still small voice,” that the good Lord has equipped us with, and then carry it out.

     To have a well formed conscience is a lifelong task. The fruits of a well formed conscience are not just accepting the worlds view and how we “feel” about something. When our conscience is educated correctly and is listened to, our freedom is guaranteed and freedom brings about peace of heart.

     The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church. (1785)

     Living with our eternal future in mind, should greatly influence our daily living. Striving to recognize and live out God’s will in our lives, would take on a stronger focus. Our vocations would be revitalized, as we did our best to love those around us and do everything for love of God.  

     How often has that “little voice” prompted us to do something, and having done it, we found out that our action was an answer to someone’s prayer.  Or the times we did not listen, later to find out that our dear one really needed some comfort that day. Or worse yet, when we put off an inspiration too long and learn that we've missed our opportunity because the person now is dead!

     We have to “listen to the prophet and not harden our hearts” when the Lord asks us to do things. At times the tasks are easy and we only need to adjust our plans. Other times it can involve doing things we’d rather not do. He may call us to look at our relationships to see if any mending needs to be done. That is something that we cannot afford to put off. We also have to honestly look into our lives for ways that are not pleasing to God and have the courage to change. Frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation is an outstanding gift to assist us in striving to do better.

     As the saying goes, “Hell is paved with good intentions,” and since eternity is an awfully long time, don’t put off till tomorrow, what could be done today – “because the next moment is not yet ours.”

   
   

1 comment:

  1. Amen!!!!!! That is so well said and such an important lesson we should all adapt in our lives sooner rather than later...because you never know the hour or the minute!

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