This past weekend was my first Mass at my home parish for the summer now that I am no longer living in Oxford. While I love my home parish, I often find the transition back to it hard because I am used to the student demographic present at college and homilies being catered to people my age, not people aged 60+. However, this weekend the homily was especially relatable, even for someone 30-40 years younger than the average attendee.

Mortality is a hard concept to deal with. Most of us have lost at least one person close to us, whether it be a parent, sibling, friend or extended family member. Mortality has an incredibly negative connotation in our society here in America. Most of us view death as one of the worst things that can happen to ourselves and our loved ones, but God tells us otherwise.

When I think about the people in my life who have died that I look up to the most, all of them were aware and responding to their imminent mortality. It can become very easy to fall into a daily routine where it seems like life will continue to chug along, simply going through life day in and day out. However, that is not the case. Our time on earth is limited. And none of us really knows what that time frame is.

The priest began a beautiful homily by discussing how the staple of being a Christian is living each day to glorify God. In order to do that, he said, we must be prepared to be placed in front of God and be judged based off of our actions to this exact point. Would you be in favor with God if He looked through your thoughts, words and actions up until this exact point? Obviously, we cannot know the answer to that, but it is worth reflecting upon.

A solution he offers to this problem is living your life as if it is your last day on earth as a Christian. If you only had one day to show the world that you were a Christian, would your actions and thoughts be changed? Would you love and give selflessly, without worry of whether it would be reciprocated?

As a 19-year-old, thinking about my death is daunting. There is SO MUCH I want to do and experience for decades more, but the ultimate adventure I want to go on is spending an eternity with God. Maybe that day is tomorrow. Maybe that day is when I am 102. I have no way of knowing. However, I do know that I do not live every day as if it were my last day on earth.

If I were to die today, I truly do not know if I would go to Heaven, as I’m sure many of us feel. However, I do know that by beginning to live every day as if it were my last day physically on earth as a Christian, I can continually glorify God to the best of my ability.