Memento Mori

Memento mori.  This latin phrase means “remember your death.”  Sometime in college, I came across the twitter account of Sister Theresa Aletheia, a sister with the Daughters of St. Paul.  She used this phrase as a hashtag daily and shared reflections on what it means, while also keeping a skull on her desk.  Her daily reminders to remember death kind of changed the way I think about death.  We all know we are going to die.  But the practice of memento mori, or remembering your death, helps us to live differently.  It helps us to keep in mind that our death can come at any time and to be ready.  With November being dedicated to praying for the souls in purgatory, I wanted to wrap up the month reflecting on death, specifically our own deaths.

As Christians, we should not fear death.  If we believe that Jesus is who He says He is, then our faith leads us to have hope in the resurrection and the possibility of eternal life with Him.  Ever since coming across Sister Aletheia’s memento mori tweets, I started thinking about death, specifically my own, more often.  And it’s not in an obsessive and morbid way, but rather, an acknowledgement that I am going to die and to strive to live for heaven.  It is a reminder that life on earth is temporary and to place our hope and trust in Jesus.  It is a reminder to live virtuously and to always be prepared.

The Gospel passage we will hear at Mass this weekend for the first Sunday of Advent also gives us the message that we need to be vigilant and prepared.  The passage is about the second coming and how we do not know when Christ will come, signifying the importance of living with a continual awareness of our words and actions, working always to deepen our faith.  The passage says, “therefore, stay awake!  For you do not know in which day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42).  Are we spiritually awake, living in a way in which we are keeping the end in mind?  We are reminded to “be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:44).  This passage helps us to remember that our lives here are temporary and that we must  keep our eyes fixed on Christ, so that we are always ready.  It is much like the phrase “memento mori.”

If I’m being completely honest, there are times that I fear death.  There are times that I cling too tightly to the things of this world.  In these moments, I recognize the need for my heart to be purified.  In these moments, my prayer is, “Lord, rid me of any worldly attachments and help me to love you above anyone and everything.” When I love things and other people more than God,  I know that I have work to do in order to be more prepared. 

We will die.  And we do not know the day or hour.  But staying focused on God, frequenting the sacraments, and striving to live virtuously helps us to be prepared.  And taking time to remember our death allows us to live with the vigilance and preparedness that is required of us.  Are we ready?  May the practice of “memento mori” help each of us to live with eternity in mind.