How Would You Live This Day if You Knew It Was Your Last?

I get a daily meditation in my inbox. Today's was on death. Depressing thought, eh? But a necessary one! St. Robert Bellarmine used to tell his priests they should preach on death once a month. Some of the saints thought about their death every day. One saint (Can't remember who at present.) would imagine himself in hell when he examined his conscience and would ask himself what he did that day to earn eternal damnation. Pondering on death is a powerful medicine. I think one of my Lenten resolutions will be to imitate the saint and examine my day in the light of death. We're all going to die. It would be good if we are well-prepared and ready when the unforseen moment arrives. As Fr. Buckley always told us on retreat: "Death is certain; the hour of death is uncertain."  If thou didst know the gift of God in this thy day.   CONSIDERATION.  This day perhaps will be your last. It will really be so for a hundred thousand of my fellow creatures. According to statistics, that is the number of deaths daily. Who can assure me I shall not be among the number? If I knew that it was to be so, what should I do today? With what scrupulous attention should I avoid the smallest sin! With what ardor should I de­vote myself to perform all my actions well, even the smallest, and to omit nothing to render myself more pleasing in God's sight! Nothing further is needed to sanctify me. APPLICATION. We have an infallible means of attain­ing this happy result - it is to follow the counsel that St. Anthony gave to his disciples. "My dear children," said he, "try to live each day as if it were to be the last of your life." Why do we not do this? So many motives invite us to do it. Would it not prevent us from ever being sur­prised by death? Death may be sudden, but it never can be unexpected. Adapted from Practical Meditations For Every Day of the Year, available from Angelus Press here.