God takes our lives and actions seriously

BY ARCHBISHOP CHARLES CHAPUT

I like visiting cemeteries.

Each name and date on the intricately carved headstones tells the story of a person's life -- some sadly brief, others full of years. When I walk in a cemetery, I am reminded of the importance of life and the significance of death. And I pray for those whose bodies have been placed there to rest.

The seasons are a reflection of a greater reality. I love autumn, but as the leaves fall from the trees and the days grow shorter and colder, my outlook changes. This season reminds us that life comes to an end.

The November feasts of All Saints and All Souls draw our attention to the reality of the end of our lives. One day, we will die, and the people we love most in this world will die.

If we are aware that life as we know it is temporary and transitional, it changes the way we live. We become aware that relationships are more important than things. We become aware that our relationship with God and generous and selfless love of neighbor should drive our lives, rather than accumulation and self-centeredness.

Scripture also teaches us that at the end of our lives and at the end of the world, we will face judgment. Jesus makes it clear that our salvation isn't assured, nor is it easy. We will be judged on whether we loved God with all of our strength, and if we loved our neighbor as ourselves.

Knowing that we are going to be judged should motivate us to evaluate our lives. God takes our lives and our actions very seriously. Do our lives reflect an understanding of this reality?

The examination of conscience has been a Christian practice throughout the centuries. At the end of the day, perhaps before going to bed at night, we should examine our conscience to see what we have done, or left undone, to please or displease God and to serve or not serve our brothers and sisters.

Praying for the dead has been a Catholic tradition from the earliest days of the Church. At every Mass, we pray for the dead. We should also pray for our beloved dead in our personal devotions. When we die, we hope the family and friends we leave behind will pray for us with great intensity so we might be worthy of the purifying love of God.

Death will always be a frightening experience for us to face, but we Christians do it with confidence, knowing that there is new life beyond death. We must all recognize our mortality. Our faith in Christ Jesus and His resurrection makes it possible for us to face this reality. We know we are going to die, but we see death as the beginning of new life.

By the death and resurrection of Christ, the gates of heaven have been "opened" to us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church uses the following words to describe the glory of heaven:

"This mystery of blessed communion with God and all who are in Christ is beyond all understanding and description." Scripture speaks of it in images: life, light, peace, wedding feast, wine of the kingdom, the Father's house, the heavenly Jerusalem, paradise: "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (Section 1027).