Mortal Reminder

They say St. Jerome carried a human skull around to remind himself of his mortality. I think it’s a good idea. (Well, I should clarify. I think it is good to think often of one’s mortality. I’m not sure how great an idea it is to carry around a skull in order to do so.) We ought to have a certain gravity (not morbidity, necessarily) about us. We ought to be mindful that life is short. Our enemy, death is close at hand. Now, we believers do have a resurrection hope that gives us much peace as we contemplate our short lives, and this is a good thing. However, I think I’m seeking to counteract a certain laziness my flesh enjoys that says, “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” And an arrogance that says, “Tomorrow I’ll go to such and such place and see so and so and do this or that.” Without giving much thought to the One who holds my days in His hands. If we ponder the shortness of our lives, we may be more willing to express our love to our brothers and sisters, to our mates, and to our friends. We may feel more urgency for the lost. We may spend less time in front of the Television. We may linger a moment longer when we say goodbye, even if we are simply going off to work. Indeed, it is a good thing to say, “if the Lord wills...” Or, for that matter, to carry a skull around.