| Age quod agis (Do what you are doing) |
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A wizened seminary instructor asked the students what they were doing the previous night at 10:00 and learned that three of them were playing billiards together. He asked them, “What would you have done if you were given the knowledge that you would die fifteen minutes later?” The first seminarian said. “I would call my parents and tell them that I love them, and call my brother and mend the rift that has existed between us for the past year.” The instructor replied, “That is very nice and sentimental, but it is the wrong answer.” The second seminarian stated, “I would immediately go to the adoration chapel and spend my last fifteen minutes in the presence of our Lord in the Eucharist.” “Nice answer,” said the old priest, “but wrong.” The third student, wanting very much to impress his mentor said, “I would wake you up and request reconciliation and viaticum.” The priest looked at this student wryly and said, “That is a truly beautiful answer . . . and wrong as well.” All of the students in the class looked at the priest in confused silence until one finally got up the courage to ask, “What then Father should they have done?” The priest smiled kindly at the entire class and said, “The best answer would have been: keep playing pool.” He looked at the first student and said: “If your parents don’t know that you love them by your actions throughout you life, how will you convince them now? . . . Why would your brother be convinced of your sincerity, if you are only willing to make amends when facing death?” Then he addressed the second student, “At that moment, you are fifteen minutes away from standing before the very presence of the Triune God in all His glory, not veiled behind by the appearance of ordinary bread.” “In the face of the eternal beatific vision, what good is fifteen minutes adoration really going to do?” To the third student he said, “If you were in a state of serious sin, why were you playing pool?” “At that point, would your contrition be true, or merely in the fear of hell?” Have you not been regularly receiving the Eucharist?” “Are you not ready to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord at the heavenly banquet table with all of the saints and angels?” The priest went on, “If you were living your life the way our Lord wishes, then playing pool is exactly what He wanted you to do at that moment.” -Author unknown. The point of this story is not to dissuade us from familial affection or reconciliation. It is not to lessen the importance of the sacraments or to belittle Eucharistic adoration. Rather, it is a call to live our lives well every moment. Further, it tells us that we can glorify God in everything we do. A recurrent theme during the LOTW Retreat is to “Make Jesus the Lord of your life.” Making Jesus the Lord of our Mass attendance or prayer time is a great start, but not the ultimate goal. Rather we need work at surrendering every aspect of our life to God. Click here to return to Archived Reflections. |