Emily Hagen
We are all going to die someday. It’s not something we particularly enjoy thinking about, is it?
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us to stay awake and be prepared, because we do not know the day or the hour.
Nearly two years ago, I faced the very real possibility that my life could end much sooner than planned. Cancer has a way of abruptly changing your perspective.
Before cancer, I was busy. Busy, busy, busy. Checking off lists, chasing accomplishments, and thinking about how those accomplishments would serve me or how others would see me. I wasn’t always asking the more important question: What is the Lord asking of me?
I was so busy preparing for the life I thought I wanted that I wasn’t always preparing my heart for the life God was calling me to live.
Looking back, I see my cancer journey as a pilgrimage. Not one I would have chosen, but one that brought me closer to Jesus than I ever imagined.
And my navigation system? Scripture.
Through daily prayer and reading the Bible in a Year, I discovered that God has already given us the directions. We just need to slow down and listen.
Before every chemotherapy treatment, I received the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. What a gift! The graces of this sacrament offered strength, peace, and the reassurance that I wasn’t walking alone.
My life looks different now. I’m learning to slow down, put down the darn cell phone, and be present with my family. I’ve even begun turning my phone completely off on Sundays, making the Lord’s Day a priority rather than another day to accomplish more.
And through daily prayer, I felt the Lord asking me to bring Holy Communion to residents at a local nursing home. Something I never imagined doing before, but something that has become a beautiful part of my life.
I’m reminded of Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart’s simple prayer:
“Lord, empty me. Fill me. Use me.”
That’s exactly what this pilgrimage has been for me.
And here’s something that might surprise you: I don’t wish I hadn’t gotten cancer. I wouldn’t wish the suffering on anyone, but I wouldn’t trade the relationship with Jesus that grew through it. The Lord reached me in a deeply intimate way.
This Sunday’s Gospel reminds us that we don’t have forever to prepare our hearts.
So I invite you to pray about what God might be asking of you. Perhaps it’s more time in prayer, serving someone in need, sharing your gifts with our parish community, or simply being more present with those you love.
How is God asking you to share His love?
We don’t need to face death to begin living differently. We simply need to make room for Jesus.