The more I advance in age, the more I realize the vanity of earthly things and their lack of permanence. Alas, why do we trouble ourselves in vain? Our life is short; it is dust, ashes, and passing dreams, and after a brief while we shall taste corruption. Today you are in full health, and tomorrow you will lose it. Today you laugh, and tomorrow you will grieve. Now your eyes shed tears of joy, and soon they will shed tears of sorrow and pain. Today the economic situation is stable, and tomorrow trials will come. Today you receive joyful news, and in the blink of an eye, sorrowful news will take its place.
We weary ourselves in vain. Our life is a shadow and a
passing dream. Where are our parents, our relatives, and our grandparents? The
grave has taken them all, and they have decayed and become food for worms. The
grave and corruption await us also.
O death, the remembrance of you is exceedingly bitter.
Our Christ has given us the strength to become children of God, arming us with
many divine weapons so that we may fight our merciless enemy. Yet we—and I am
the first of all—become prisoners of our adversary through neglecting the
weapons that Christ has given us. And the closer we draw to death, the more we
tremble with terror, and we try by every means to prolong our lives, because
the soul fears leaving the body. Why? Why do you not take courage as a daughter
of God? Is she going to a strange king? But the King is her Creator and her
Saviour, who shed His blood to set our soul free from its enemy. Why, then, are
you afraid and lacking courage?
Death is cold by its very nature: “My soul is
exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death,” as Jesus said. Most of our
fear—unfortunately—comes from the conscience, for it does not assure the soul
that it has lived properly, because it has not lived with order and discipline,
nor washed the wedding garment. Therefore, it is ashamed to stand before the
King, pondering the judgment it will receive: yes or no? Shall I be saved or
not? If the soul departs without confession and without complete repentance,
then woe to it at that hour—this is the evil day to which the Prophet Jeremiah
referred: “Let them not be a terror unto me: Thou art my refuge in the day of
evil.”
Let us pray that our Holy God may deliver us from all
these terrors by granting us complete repentance and works worthy of it—works
of mercy and love—and a spirit of repentance together with true humility. May
the righteous Judge be merciful to us, so that when the fearful hour of death
comes, the soul may take courage, trusting in the mercy of God, and say: “I am
confident that God will have mercy on my wretchedness.” Amen.
WORDS OF COUNSEL FROM THE HOLY MOUNTAIN
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