The Things In Life That We Are Certain Of

At mass today I was privileged to have Father Edward L. Beck, C.P. give the homily at my parish. Father Beck is the author of three books, God Underneath, Unlikely Ways Home, and Soul Provider, all published by Doubleday and available from www.amazon.com . He gives retreats and workshops on spirituality, nationally and internationally. In addition, he hosts a weekly TV show for ABC called Faith Matters Now on the ABC Now Network and his work can be found on his web site www.EdwardLBeck.com .
Father’s homily was particularly important and thought provoking, considering the environment we are all facing during these difficult times and the changes occurring in our country today. He discussed the five certitudes of life that cut to the very core of our existence and our impact on others.

1. Life is Hard: Yes, although we all prefer to focus on the good things, we all go through difficult times. We lose loved ones, our kids go astray or have problems, we have financial issues, we have health problems, we get divorced, we have addictions and mental disorders. These are things that escape no one no matter how wealthy or how poor.

2. You Are Going To Die: Yes, we can’t escape this. Do we live our lives realizing this inevitability? Have we accomplished all that we wanted? Is our life in order? Life will go on after we’ve gone just like we never existed. Yes, our loved ones will remember us fondly, we hope, but the world will not care if we ever existed. I don’t want to disillusion you but do you think you will miss this blog after I go?

3. You Are Not Very Important: Particularly in the grand scheme of things. Maybe great Presidents, leaders, and historical figures will have altered things somewhat for a time, but they too will just be names in history books as the generations go on. Are you beginning to feel more depressed?

4. Life Is Not About You: Just ask Donald Trump, right? Well, in the context that we are sent here by God to do good things for others, our role is to impact others for their good and betterment. We earn money to support our family and loved ones, we help the disabled and deprived people in our society, we use our intellect or physical skills to make a contribution to society. When we become the focal point in our lives, we become very unhappy and probably get into a lot of trouble.

5. You Have No Control: We really have no control over events in our life. Oh yes, we can plan and try to stay on course, but things usually happen that change the plans and force us to alter our journey. All those smart people in government and all the economic titans appear to have no control over the events that have befallen us. Did the passengers on the plane that crashed in the Hudson have any control on whether they lived or died? You drive a car down a road and get hit head-on by a drunk driver and are disabled for life. These are things that are controlled by what people call “fate”. Is that God’s plan? Or as an atheist would say, just a “coincidence”.

After you contemplate how bad things are, just remember the five certitudes that Father Beck pointed out in church today. It doesn't mean we are not special or unique in God's eyes, remember we are the creatures not the creator. We are special because no matter what happens we will adapt and cope, as long as we understand the five certitudes.