In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis explained that thinking about death makes Christians see they're not the masters of their time.
POPE FRANCIS
“But there is the temptation of the present moment that takes hold of life and brings you to go wandering in this selfish labyrinth of the moment, without a future, always coming and going, coming and going, no? And the journey ends in death, we all know that.”
To conclude, the pope urged each person to reflect on what his or her legacy would be at the hour of his or her death.
EXCERPTS FROM THE POPE'S HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
“But there is the temptation of the present moment that takes hold of life and brings you to go wandering in this selfish labyrinth of the moment, without a future, always coming and going, coming and going, no? And the journey ends in death, we all know that. And for this reason, the Church has always tried to reflect on this our end: death.'
“I am not the master of time,” because this reflection “saves us from the illusion of the moment, of viewing life like a chain with links made up of individual moments,” a transitory life “that makes no sense.”
“'What would be my legacy if God were to call me today? What legacy would I leave as a testimony of my life?' It is a good question to ask ourselves. And thus we can prepare ourselves, because each one of us… none of us will remain 'as a relic.' We must all go down this path.”
“When I die, what would I like to have done in this decision that I must make today, in my way of living today? It is an anticipated memory that illuminates the “moment” of today, illuminating with the fact of death the decisions that I must make every day.”
