Journeying: November 2016

What is a bucket list? The Urban dictionary defines it as: A list of things you would like to do before you die (that is before “kicking the bucket”) or before your world ends.

Today being the 33^rd Sunday is the second to the last week before the Liturgical calendar ends. Next week will be the last and it will be celebrated with the feast of Christ the King. And so we are reminded during these last two weeks of the shortness of our life and that the world as we know it will end sooner than later.

Today’s first reading from the prophet Malachi: The day is coming now, burning like a furnace; all the arrogant and evil-doers will be like stubble. The day that is coming is going to burn them up, says the Lord of hosts. But for those who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will shine out with healing in its rays. The world or our world will definitely come to an end… even Jesus in the gospel says: All these things you are staring at now, the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.

And so if the world would end in two weeks…. What will you write on your bucket list? How would you like to spend the remaining two weeks of your life here on earth?

A survey of 2000 people in the UK in 2012 had these results:

51 percent of respondents would spend this time with family.

22 percent wanted to travel and see the world

7 percent will quit their jobs and relax

6 percent will spend their time on parties

1 percent will spend their time being charitable

5 percent on other things

On Spending time with Family. A priest one Sunday was giving this homily about the end of the world. He said to the group, “What would you do if you knew you only had 2 weeks of life remaining before the Great Judgment Day?”

A gentleman said, ” I would go out into my community and with my money, feed the hungry and the homeless and give my clothes to them. That they may realize God is good to them also. “Very good!” said the priest, and all the parishioners agreed, that would be a very good thing to do.

One lady spoke up and said enthusiastically, “I would dedicate all of my remaining time to God, by staying in Church and praying.” “That’s wonderful!” the priest commented, and all the others agreed.

But one gentleman in the back finally spoke up loudly and said, “I will leave my wife and children in my house and go to my mother-in-laws house for those 2 weeks.”(Pope Francis once commented: “Families quarrel… Sometimes plates can fly. Children give headaches. I won’t speak about mothers-in-law.”) Everyone was puzzled by this answer, and the priest asks, “Why your mother-in-law’s home?”

“Because that will make it the longest 2 weeks of my life!”

On Quitting jobs and relaxing. During the time of St. Paul, he won many converts in the city of Thessalonica by speaking of 'the end of the world.' He seriously believed that it was coming soon and talked a lot to his listeners about this point. And they started making their bucket lists. However many of his followers misunderstood him. They thought that since the end was coming soon, they should spend their last days in prayer. Hence they quit their jobs and focused on meditation. Why build and plant if this world is about to be destroyed, they asked themselves. This won Christians a bad reputation as lazy people.

So St Paul told the Thessalonians: We order and call on people to go on quietly working and earning the food that they eat.

He further adds if they are unwilling to work, they should not eat.

So don’t stop working, and also don’t stop eating. Maybe something in your bucket list could be about eating something delicious you have never eaten before because you were scrimping on the money.

The Filipinos have an interesting expression after they have eaten a very delightful and delicious meal especially if they have never tasted this before. After eating they rub their tummies and say: “Haay pwede na akong mamatay.” (Now I can die peacefully already). It’s like saying I have completed my bucket list and I’m ready for the end of life.

I think it’s good to have a bucket list because it makes you think of the things you would have missed if your life passes by and you would not have been able to do certain things that are worth living for.

For me the bucket list is not about awaiting death or the end of the world with fear but rather it’s about trying to live life to the full and continually appreciating what God has given us. Whenever I officiate a funeral, I always wonder why when a person dies she receives so many flowers when she can no longer smell or appreciate this. I just wonder how many she received in her lifetime. And I also wonder why so many good things are told of this person when she can no longer hear what people are saying. On the contrary was she able to hear these beautiful words about her when she was alive from the people she loved?

So don’t miss out on those things that are still there – That is the message of the bucket list – that’s the reason you make one. People say: There is no table of contents in the book called life. We do not know if we are at the beginning of a new chapter or at the end of the story. That is why we must be grateful everytime the page turns – it’s another day, another chance to tick off something from our bucket list or to be excited about doing one. And fear not, Jesus will always be there with us even after our book of life ends.