To Live is Christ

 In Cairo, Egypt, we visited the the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.  They are sights to behold. They were built around 2550 B.C. The pyramids were tombs of King Khufu (grandfather), Khafre (son), and Menkaure (grandson). The Greeks called them Cheops, Chephren, and Mykerinos respectively. The three smaller pyramids were tombs for the queens. What's interesting to note is that not until the Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, the Great Pyramid of Khufu was the tallest monument on earth. So for 4300 years, the largest building on earth was a tomb.

This month alone I visited 3 wakes of the relatives of good friends.  Truly, they were greatly loved by the people around them. They are were not buried in Pyramids like the Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt, but the people that loved them honored their memory and considered them great in their hearts.  They prayed for them to rest peace for eternity with our Lord Jesus.

In a span of 6 years, there have also been many deaths in my family. My father passed away two years ago. My mother-in-law just last year, and my father-in-law in 2006.  We continue to pray for their souls.

We all know that death is a certainty.  It all comes to our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.  It makes us reflect on how we are living our lives.  How are we spending this day that God has given us?  What are our plans in the next 10 years, considering that life is short?  These are my reflections:

1. Live a life of purpose.  God our Creator has designed each of us to fulfill His purpose.  This purpose will bring us meaningful living.  We look upon ourselves and ask, "What has God gifted me to help build His Kingdom on earth?"

2. Invest in Love. Love as much as you can. Love is the only thing that lasts and it is far reaching.  In eulogies, we do not hear of people reporting the net worth of assets a person has, instead people express the amount of love the person has impacted in their lives. Love can be felt from generation to generation. Build a legacy of love for your family, friends, and society. Invest in love.

3. Find Happiness in God. In our journey for purpose and love, we are motivated by happiness. Some misinterpret happiness by indulging in the temporary (vices, money, material wealth, physical beauty etc.).  The prodigal son learned this the hard way. In the end, he realized that happiness could be found again by being back with his father.  Although many of us know that real happiness is to be with God, we tend to become lost in the world. Let us find our way back to our Father for He has prepared a feast for us.

4. Expect Great Things to Happen.  We can be paralyzed by fear and worries.  The Lord wants us to live in the abundance of His blessings. Yet, our mind-set or "heart-set" is that of scarcity and negativity. When we are willing to carry His Cross, we are opening a world of abundance. The Lord does not want us to run away from our crosses.  It will be these crosses that will lead us to successful living. When we become stronger, wiser, and more faithful through our crosses, then will abundance flow in our lives.

Let us be inspired by St. Paul's exhortation. His conviction was this, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21)." A life of purpose, love, happiness, and greatness can only be lived with Christ. And in the end, we hope for the grace to gain a life of eternity in heaven.  It doesn't matter if we are buried in a simple coffin or in a great pyramid, what matters is if that we have lived with Christ at the center of our lives.