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.

An awakening

     I love the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but that wasn't always so. I grew up during the time when weekly confession was expected. The sisters had impressed upon us the need to keep our souls spotless to receive Jesus in Holy Communion and we readily complied.

     After the Vatican Council, it seemed as if we lost our ‘sense of sin,’ so little by little, the time between each of my confessions grew. I reasoned that I really wasn't a bad person and loved God a lot, so I justified my actions as okay. As a young adult, I made sure I made my ‘Easter duty’ and was quite pleased that I made it a priority and was a good Daughter of the Church.