God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made them. But by the envy of the Devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it. But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; They shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.
When I was in high school our principal, Fr. George Tribou, said something I never forgot. He said, “Five years after you graduate, one of you will die.” And I remember looking around at my classmates and wondering: “Which one you chumps will it be?? Because it sure won’t be me!” We often think that death comes for someone else, but surely not me. But one day it will be me, and one day it will be you.
Now we can take one of two attitudes toward death. We can adopt the attitude that says, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” And we live recklessly and immorally, hurting others and ourselves. Or, we can have the mind of Tim McGraw in his song, “Live like you are dying,” where he makes the most of life. He sings: “I was finally the husband that most the time I wasn’t. And I became a friend a friend would like to have. And all the sudden going fishin’ wasn’t such an imposition. And I went three times that year I lost my dad.” You see, the reality of death forces us to make a choice between living stupidly or living soberly.
The first reading from Wisdom tell us WHY we should choose to live soberly rather than living stupidly, namely, because death is not the end. Wisdom says that those who pass away, “seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead, and their passing away was thought an affliction…but they are in peace.” They are in the hand of God. In other words, live soberly – go fishing with your dad, be a good friend and a great husband – because one day you’ll have to explain how you lived to God. God won’t be too happy if all you did was “eat, drink and be merry.”
Have you ever heard of Robert Champ Williams? He graduated from Trinity Junior High in 1996, and he died this past weekend. He was 32 years old, a very accomplished diver, and won an Emmy Award for a documentary called, “Attack of the Sea Slugs.” Listen to what he wrote on his website: “Through my work (of underwater filming) I am exposed to organisms and interactions no one has ever seen before. But they still happen…when nobody is looking. Their interactions with each other an elegant dance choreographed through the ages. It is these moments I find both prolific and perpetually humbling: for if I never see the face of God, if I never find the answers, through my work, I at least find purpose and repose.” You see, Champ Williams didn’t think he was going to die this past weekend, but he lived in a way that he was ready to see the face of God. He lived soberly, not stupidly.
Boys and girls, let me encourage you to make the most of your life, because no one knows when they will die. Don’t be afraid to try something new, like joining dance or cheer. Play sports like basketball, volleyball, football, or run cross-country. Be in drama or Quiz Bowl, serve at Mass or be a lector or sing. But whatever you do, don’t sit on the sidelines and don’t live stupidly. In other words, be like Champ, a Trinity grad who made the most of his life. Today we pray that Robert Champ Williams sees the face of God and knows his peace. And may we be ready, one day, to see his face, too.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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