What is the true destiny of men?
Yesterday morning, I had some muni-muni moments inside my sacred bathroom. Edmund was away so no one would come knocking. Naisip ko lang, I would be in my 80s in just over 20 years from now. Or maybe I would only live up to 70s. Sobra nyo na akong ma-mi-miss.
I was in Binangonan last Sunday. I attended our high school batch meeting. Although I am the president, I didn’t really have to be there, kasi they would only talk about trivial matters (Christmas party), but I took it as an opportunity to have lunch with my nephews, para double purpose, para sulit naman ang 1.5 hours kong byahe.
Luming, our batch treasurer, counted the number of people actively attending our batch parties. Meron daw lima yata nabawas. No they didn’t go abroad. Not OFWs. Namatay na this year, dead as in paalam sa lupang sinilangan. Down under, not in Australia, but down there in the cemetery. Eto na naman ako, naku oo nga, matanda na kami, marami ng nababawa, tila taun-taon merong deductions. Ako president, dapat lagi akong present. Cannot be absent forever.
What did the priest say about dying? With death, life has not ended but changed. What is the destiny of men? To die. (Ohhh noooo!)
It is the destiny of men to die. Book of Genesis Chapter 3 verse 13. We are ashes.
Fundamental truth is that ASHES have no substance. It reminds us of men’s nothingness. Everything in us is nothing. Dust return to dust.
This reminds us of the reality of death. Death excites fear and terror (of course). But our Catholic faith tells us that death is consoling and desirable. God abridges pain, death is a relief and remedy rather than a chastisement.
The moment we are born, the journey to our death begins.
(That’s creepy and scary.)
