The month of November creates a perfect environment for reflecting on our mortality. Don’t take it the wrong way, our mortality is actually good news. Jesus promised life eternal which would far surpass the life here on earth to those who would follow Him, and that is certainly good news. What causes problems in our “following of Him” is that we can become distracted by this world and forget about the world of
Heaven and perfect union with God. One way to keep our focus is to remember our mortality and our final end. What if I started thinking more about the glory of Heaven than about life here on earth? This became clearer to me after I visited with grade 11 students this week, and asked them: “Why don’t many young people go to church anymore?” My question was sincere, I really wanted to know from them what is changing our religious practice so much these days. Some of the answers that were given to me were very interesting: “many parents don’t go, so the youth have no experience with it,” “it’s a big commitment and life is already so busy,” “we don’t see religion as something that is positively presented in the movies and shows today.” These were all very good answers, and I was grateful for the young people’s goodness in sharing their views with me. I took these answers home with me and tried to put myself in the place of these young people. Maybe the problem is with how we present faith to them, with what we choose to focus on. If our focus is on the fact that going to church will make your life here on earth easier and better, this may not be a great incentive (especially for those whose life is already quite good and comfortable). But if going to church and following God will help determine your eternal existence, now that is something worth investing in. Perhaps our faith conversations with young people can focus more on the mystery of things which are to come, and not only on the moral applicability of Christ’s commandments here on earth. The month of November invites us to think more about eternal life through the celebrations of All Saints, All Souls, Memorial Day, and the end of the liturgical year which offers readings about the Last Things. This is good news, it reminds us that God has prepared amazing things for those who love Him. So how about it? Are you excited about your mortality? Fr. Kuzma