Wednesday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time (Year II)
James 4:13-17 | Psalm 48:2-3, 6-11 | Mark 9:38-40
Today’s reading is basically a warning from St. James to the cocksure – those who, consciously or otherwise, act as if the world bends to their will.
To be sure, science has advanced to such a degree that this almost seems to be true, feeding the illusion that we are masters of our world. After all, we can have year-round air-conditioning that easily defeats tropical heat and humidity, super-fast computers that put the totality of human knowledge at our fingertips, and foods from every time zone at our local supermarkets.
But we still have no answer to the earthquakes that pancake buildings onto our vulnerable heads, to the gravity that drags us (and our selfie cameras) off slippery cliffs to our doom, or even to the inattentive drivers who T-bone us in our cars to a premature death.
Sure, everyone says “life is short, so let’s make the most of it,” but it’s instructive that after we escape our death-beds, or otherwise taste our own mortality, we almost never redouble our efforts to squeeze as much secular enjoyment out of whatever little time we now know we have left.
Instead, we tend to have a conversion experience, becoming more introspective yet more aware of our environment. We spend less time on personal indulgences, and more time on the people around us. We, in fact, usually grow closer to God.
St. James reminds us that life is fleeting indeed. If we knowingly do wrong in the pursuit of personal gain, or ignore our suffering brethren for more time with our favourite video game or TV show, we may intend to make amends for our sins later, but we may also be called to premature judgement by a freak accident or sudden illness.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
Gamers would instantly recognize the significance of today’s title: in the world of side-scrolling games, your player character is always being propelled in a specific direction. If you fail to catch a falling power-up, or flip a critical switch, you don’t get to go back and try again. You’ll just have to deal with the consequences of your failure later in the game.
Wait, what was that? Aw nuts, too late…
So in the words of a familiar-sounding poem:
Through this toilsome world, alas!
Once and only once I pass;
If a kindness I may show,
If a good deed I may do
To a suffering fellow man,
Let me do it while I can.
No delay, for it is plain
I shall not pass this way again.
(Author unknown, “I Shall Not Pass This Way Again.”)
Lord, remind us to carpe diem, to seize the day not for ourselves but for our brethren who do not have the gifts you have given us. May we find it in our hearts always to share our physical bounty and our spiritual joy with those in this world who want for both. Amen.