Without exception, we are all approaching the finish line, whether we will it or not. The inevitability of our limited time is a shared reality. Time and again, we witness beloved friends and family members pass, wishing they had stayed longer. We never have enough of them, for we love them and long to keep loving them. In many cases (perhaps more than we realize), their departure finds us in the midst of other matters and unprepared for their final farewell. But maybe they, who have departed, were ready, though we were not. This unpreparedness makes parting incredibly painful—even excruciating, especially when we realize that we may have taken them for granted, oblivious to how close death truly was.
Now, with them suddenly gone, we wake up to the aching thought: Oh, my God, I still had so much love to give them. But now they’re gone. And in reality, the clock ticks for us, too. Time’s double-edged countdown moves forward relentlessly. Those we love will one day be gone, and so will we. Are we prepared for their departure—and for our own? Have we truly considered that our journey to eternity could happen at any moment, whether for those we cherish or for ourselves?
This reflection raises a powerful question—one that grows more intense, even a bit unsettling, though I hesitate to say frightening. The question is:
If you only had a week to reconcile relationships, who would you reach out to first?
The truth is, we don’t know the day or the hour, so why wait? This truth demands our attention. We must face, live with, and embrace it; both they and we will be gone sooner or later. Our time is precious and finite. God has set a limit on their lives and ours. Being surprised by this limit without preparation would be a tragedy—not in the act of dying but in our lack of readiness for it.
Dying is brief; it’s what comes next that calls for serious attention. As the book of Daniel powerfully reminds us, on the day of resurrection, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace” (Daniel 12:2).
The author of Hebrews affirms that Christ died to forgive the sins of humanity (cf. Heb 10:11-14, 18). Yet, we may have our own need to forgive someone—or to seek forgiveness from someone—before either of us dies. Who might that person be? Perhaps we need to reconcile with ourselves or with God. Let us pause and ask the Holy Spirit to help us discern whom we need to forgive or seek forgiveness from. Once we know, let us also ask for the grace to reach out, simply and sincerely, and say: Forgive me.