Some time ago I visited three wakes. The first was a 14-year old girl who died of leukemia. She finally rested after two years of in and out of the hospital. The second wake was an unexpected death of a 55-year old man who had a heart attack. Everyone thought he was fit and athletic, so his passing was a shock. The last one was a woman who was more than 100 years old and passed in her sleep. She was still sharp and smiling the night before.

At the end of the day, it made me once again realize that life is uncertain. When it is your time, it is your time. Ready or not. Hence one of the challenges of the Gospel is to always be prepared. 

Three things to always be prepared:

1. Always remember that the time of God is different from our time. How often do we tell ourselves to defer things to…next week, next month, next year or whenever. God’s time is different from our time. If you have to forgive then forgive soonest; if you have to ask for forgiveness, ask for forgiveness soonest; if you have to make things right, make it right soonest. Ask yourself, if you had 24 hours left, what will you do? Then go do it already.
   
2. Find your purpose in life and be faithful. All of us are here on this earth because God has a mission. He has given us time, talent, and treasure. Happy is the person who finds his purpose or mission in life and is faithful. Life is made more simple and happy. You know what is important and what is fleeting; what is essential and what is passing.
   
3. Let Go and Forgive. The thing people often do is to look back. They look back with anger, regrets, and hurt. Life can be unfair and people who we love and trust can hurt and betray us. Very painful. Yet, the sooner we forgive and let go, lessons will be learned. The earlier we move on, the better for us because life is too short to live with negativity. Forgive not only 7 times but 70 x 7 times.

In closing let me share to you a poem:

We live within borrowed time

and walk in rented shoes.

If we fade, we fade,

but let us go out having loved,
laughed and forgiven.