In the autumn, the colored leaves in yellow, orange, red, and brown tints cheerfully greet us. In the autumn, we naturally ponder on diverse fruits, harvest, foliage, giving out unconditionally, old age, the last moment, and death.
As Anselm Grun says in “Leben Ist Jetzt. Die Kunst des Alterwerdens,” autumn is the symbol of old age because the elderly harvest the fruits of life.
Living in an aging society, older people enjoy longevity more and more. The average span and quality of life have become longer and deeper, but we still don’t know what will happen in the next moment. Truly, nobody knows when their last moment will come.
We have only the present, and each moment is related to one another like a dotted line.
In this beautiful autumn with the colored tints, one of our Pauline sisters passed away all of a sudden in her fifties. She went to the hospital to check her health regularly but didn’t realize crucial changes in her body by the ongoing penetration of cancer.
In the end, she had to go through a painful operation; nevertheless, she passed away beyond her expectation and hope due to terrible difficulty in breathing. After the operation, she confessed how she had lived wrong.
She wanted to revisit the path she had already passed through but couldn’t make up for the past because destiny had already gone beyond her reach.
Like this, we don't know anything about the last moment. We just live a moment to the fullest day by day.
Fully remaining in the present moment brings about happiness and peace. And this peaceful joy remains not in the result but in the process itself. That is why we become happier and freer when immersed in the present work and concentrating on the here and now. Whatever we do, wherever we are, we can enjoy the present moment if we do our best every moment.
How to live in this present moment? In what way can we enjoy the moment every day?
Bishop Rene Dupont, who came to Korea as a missionary in 1954 immediately after ordination in France, gives an answer to those questions in his book titled “Most Wonderful Life,” a collection of special lectures presented during the last Lent season at Myeongdong Cathedral.
After retiring from the seat of Bishop responsible for the Andong diocese, he still guides people through retreats and homilies. Looking at his peaceful, humble, and poor life, many people love and respect him.
In the “Most Wonderful Life,” he talks about what to choose and how to live the most wonderful life as a Christian.
What shall we choose to be happy, to love, and to be the best? Will our dream come true if we choose Jesus Christ leading to the most blessed life?
Yes, every answer leading to happiness and love comes from the good news of Jesus, and the blessed message goes beyond death and loss.
Long ago, I had to undergo an operation due to myeloma of the uterus. In spite of the tiresome situation, I was not so serious about the possibility of death. Instead of gloomy thoughts, the seeds of hope and enthusiasm sprouted up and grew in my heart. I was entirely renewed, and my inner power came from faith in the Lord who has always encouraged and empowered me.
As Bishop Dupont mentioned in his book, our life has a deeper meaning because of Jesus who gave us eight attitudes to receive blessings in his teaching on beatitudes; living poverty, sorrow, gentleness, mercy, purity, righteousness, peace, and bearing the cross. Bishop Dupont believes these eight attitudes are the way to receive blessings and to live happily and joyfully.
We can be happier, love more deeply, and give ourselves to others because of Jesus. Because of the good news that Jesus proclaimed, we dedicate ourselves while giving out time, energy, talent, and even our very lives.
With all these energetic and passionate movements, the cycle of death and life, loss and harvest will go on to meet with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Another sister will go through an operation sooner or later, and there will be surely some change and transformation in daily life. In this way, we are walking and renewing ourselves every day.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2011/10/137_97532.html
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ Oct. 29-30,2011
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