The Beginning of the Ending

It’s no wonder that at the age of 76 I find myself seriously considering the fact that death is more imminent at this stage of living than it has every been in any of decade of my life. Remembering that death is indeed before us—in some time, at some place, in some way—is part of the discipline of saints from the past who recommend this practice as a means to cherishing the life that is and enhancing one’s living by not taking the days that are given for granted.

However, I have made an astounding discovery as I continue this journey into momento mori—remember your death.

According to Wikipedia, the thought of practicing momento mori was borrowed from earlier strains of classic thinking because of its emphasis on divine judgment, heaven, hell and the salvation of the soul. “To the Christian, the prospect of death serves to emphasize the emptiness and fleetingness of earthly pleasures, luxuries, and achievements, and thus also as an invitation to focus one’s thoughts on the prospect of the afterlife. A Biblical injunction often associated with the momento mori in this context is “In omnibus operibus tuis memorare novissima tua, et in aeternum non peccabis.”

Or in another context, the phrase is a restating of Ecclesiastes 7:40, “In all thy works be mindful of thy last end and thou wilt never sin.” Worshipers in liturgical service hear this similar reminder every Ash Wednesday as the priest marks their forehead with ashes in the sign of the Cross, “Remember man that you are dust and undo dust you shall return.”

Being 76 today and turning 77 in January 2020 makes the above considerations a natural function as I enter into the days that I am calling “the beginning of the ending.”

But here is the surprising thing that I am discovering: I am not afraid of death. I don’t fear it, nor do I dread its approach, even if it is accompanied by its all-too-familiar companions—physical pain, mental depletion, or personality demise.

Instead, when I think of death, I am filled with an almost unutterable joy. Somewhere, in these decades, I have passed over from the hesitant “I believe it because the Scriptures say it” or “There is another, better place that I look forward to because of the exercise of faith.” Somewhere, somehow in these later decades of life, I have moved into certainty, which has yielded to excitement about what is beyond the physical that we can know into what is unknown.

I can taste Heaven on the tip of my tongue.

I am longing to exist in that peaceable Kingdom that is now and will be forever.

I am eager to talk again with Jeremy, our son who died seven years ago this coming November.

I can’t wait to see my kinfolk and to have discussions with all the greats, those who were known and all those who were unsung and unknown but nevertheless heroes of the faith.

And I will see Jesus.

As a side note, David and I attended a healing conference this summer in Birmingham, Alabama. Heidi Baker, a woman with an incredible ministry to the lost, abandoned and abused children of Mozambique, stood up to speak but was so overcome with a love of Christ that all she could do for some 10 minutes was fall to her knees and say, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…”

I do not possess that kind of ardor. I know it is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to those who desire intimacy with Christ, but when I cross over and see my Lord, I want to have developed the capacity to fall to my feet and adore.

These are beautiful days—these last days for me that are the beginning of the ending—I am sometimes filled with inexplicable exultation. The world is so beautiful. Our little grandchildren are adorable. I’m loving the cooking and tending and organizing that are part of life. The skies are breathtaking. Now, all this joy is either a gift of God, one of the ascents of old age … or it could be that my thyroid medicine has kicked me into a state of hyperthyroidism. No matter; I’ll take whatever of joy that comes, however it comes!

It all has left me looking to the future—the near future, whenever that may be—with untold anticipation.

Death is near somewhere. Hallelujah!
Please, Lord. Help me to keep remembering that
Life is and should always be a journey through various kinds of ecstasies.
Sorrow, as much as we hate it, makes the journey richer.
Suffering teaches us to hold onto what is good and beautiful and true.
Dailiness is utterly remarkable if we will only pause to consider it.
The ordinary is really extraordinary.
Momento mori.

Karen Mains

NOTICES

Advent Retreat of Silence

This year’s Advent 8-Hour Retreats of Silence will be the last that Hungry Souls offers. For over twenty years, I (and teams of friends) have worked on providing 24-hour retreats, daylong retreats, three-day retreats, and for the last few years, we’ve gathered at Doug and Melissa Timberlake's home,  Turtle Creek Acres in McHenry, IL, for Advent Retreats of Silence. Well, this is another beginning of the endings. The Timberlakes are putting the barnhouse on the real-estate market, and I no longer feel as though silent retreats are a part of my ministry portfolio. So we hope to see you at one of the three events. Click THIS LINK for complete details and sign up as soon as you can to ensure a place. The Advent Retreat is open to both men and women.

Reminder!

The Soulish Food e-mails are being posted biweekly on the Hungry Souls Web site. Newcomers can look that over and decide if they want to register on the Web site to receive the biweekly newsletter. You might want to recommend this to friends also. They can go to www.HungrySouls.org.

Hungry Souls Contact Information

ADDRESS: 29W377 Hawthorne Lane
West Chicago, IL 60185
PHONE: 630-293-4500
EMAIL: karen@hungrysouls.org

Karen Mains

BOOK CORNER

Like War:
The Weaponization of Social Media
by P.W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking

Generations of concerned Christians before us have also looked at the world, wondering if global events—World Wars, for instance—are the indicators that Christ predicted as He was preparing His disciples to take the faith forward without His galvanizing physical presence. However, there are “signs” in our days that are utterly distinctive, signs such as climate change, the warming of our planet that is even now causing the seas to rise. This is one of the never-before indicators that fulfill the prophecies of Christ. Social media is another. We’ve just had a taste how the Internet can be used for great harm with our last election, which many experts feel was “hacked” by Russian interference. “Throughout the 2016 U.S. presidential election, thousands of human trolls, backed by tens of thousands of automated account, infiltrated every part of the U.S. dialogue.” Through the use of the Internet, “they steered discussion, sowed doubt, and obfuscated truth, launching the most politically consequential information attack in history. And that operation continues to this day.”

For a concerned citizenry as well as for the sake of those who feel called to concerted and earnest prayer for our nation, Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media is a MUST-READ.