Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24 (NAB)

“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them not any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.”

While reading this before Mass, John 12:24-25 came to mind:

²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (RSVCE)

Let’s start with verse 24, and contemplate the good life- one that was lived well and had a positive impact on those who experienced it. Specifically, someone who really lived the Faith, someone who bore witness to the truth of The Gospels. Someone who walked in Jesus’ footsteps. We know such people, we cherish our memories of them and they inspire us. Sometimes, maybe even most of the time, it seems as though the real epiphany strikes us after we lose them. Then we realize just how important they were, how profoundly they inspired us, and we feel a call towards action to honor their memory by sharing that inspiration with others- perhaps hundreds, or thousands of people. The seed, that life, bore much fruit. Praise God for those people who inspire us to become more than what we think we are, and in so doing move closer to who God made us to be. Sometimes we call these blessed men and women Saints, but in truth the vast majority of them are never formally recognized by the Church. They are who they became not because they loved the world, but because they rejected it and embraced true life in Christ- thus becoming a light, a beacon, which lights the paths of those around them. Contemplate Ephesians 5:14-15:

¹⁴ for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says:

“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”

¹⁵ Watch carefully then how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, (NABRE)

When we find the courage to awake from the slumber, the distractions and darkness of this world, and embrace Jesus, he bestows upon us “light”. A light that serves as inspiration for others to also rise, reject their perishable life in this world, and instead embrace the imperishable life in Christ our Father formed us for.

Choose Life.

[In memory of Dave Cooney, a man I never met, but who’s life bore such abundant fruit that I’ve been blessed through those who did know him.]

[Also in memory of my father, Ronald Fiebelkorn, who passed away in 2015]