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33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Cycle B
November 18, 2012 4 and
5:30pm
Saint Margaret
Parish, Bel Air
Experience of Dying
There
is famous short story written over a hundred years ago.
The
story is titled Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge and it is about a man who is about to be hanged. Enemy soldiers march this man out to the
bridge over Owl Creek.
The
man’s wrists and ankles are tied and a noose is put around his neck. The commanding officer barks the order and
the condemned man falls.
But
then, the rope breaks and the man goes into the river below. He sinks down into the water and miraculously
frees his hands and his feet.
He
realizes that he now has a second chance at life and he begins to swim down the
river. As he swims or floats, he is struck
by the beauty of the leaves on the trees.
He
notices the blueness of the sky. Never
has the world looked so beautiful and he senses how great it is to be
alive.
Finally,
he swims ashore and starts to walk. Soon
he comes to a house and he can’t believe his eyes because he is back home.
His
wife comes running out to greet him. But
then, just as they are embracing, the story flips back to Owl Creek
Bridge.
Shockingly,
the body of this same man is hanging there.
The man had only imagined in the split second that he fell to his death
that he had gotten a second chance at life.
In that
split second, he had seen life for what it is – as a precious gift to be
appreciated. He had realized how
differently he would have lived if only he had been given a second chance.
The Author and
Jesus
That is
the story of Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge.
It
seems to me that the author has the same lesson in mind that the Scriptures are
conveying today. He is saying that the
condemned man did not get a second chance at life but we, the readers are given
a second chance because we have witnessed this man’s experience.
In the
same way, the Prophet Daniel in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel focus
our attention on the end of our life on earth.
Jesus wants us to live with an awareness of this.
And
with this awareness, he wants us to appreciate life right now for the precious
gift that it is. In effect, he gives us
a second chance.
Priorities: Love and Service
Probably those of
us who have been very ill, or those of us who been with loved ones who are very
ill or dying, have learned that in the end, only two things really matter.
And they are: the
love you have shown and what you have given of yourself to others. All other things that seem so important pale
by comparison.
This insight is at
the heart of Jesus’ message. And maybe
it raises some questions for us to think about!
First, are we in our
own way expressing the love that we feel in our hearts? Do we show affection and warmth to those who
really matter to us – your husband or wife, your children, our parents, a close
friend?
And, for that
matter, what about our love for God? Do
we express this through our prayer, maybe especially with prayers of gratitude
for our blessings?
And second, are we
giving of ourselves in some way for the well-being of others? Are we willing to go out of our way for
others and at times place their needs above our own plans or preferences?
Are we willing to
give our time or our listening ear to whomever it might be? Are we willing to give of ourselves
personally when we will receive nothing in return other than the satisfaction
of what we have done?
Conclusion
So, the Scriptures today invite us to ask: how satisfied will we be at the
end of our lives on this earth with the expression of our love and the quality
of our giving of ourselves?
Unlike the man in the story, beginning right now we have a second chance
to prepare for that hour.
