ONE HEART BEAT AWAY....

For the last couple of weeks, the news media seems to be hooked on the idea that they have a concern about the possibility that either Presidential candidates may have to be replaced by their Vice-Presidential candidates in the event of a serious injury, a life threatening situation, or even the death of the Presidential candidate. The news media uses the terms "one heart beat away" to describe their concerns. Yes, that is a legitimate concern in electing any political candidate for office especially for the most prestigious office in our Country...The Presidency. However, we also see an additional agenda that this is being promulgated in their news accounts; namely, age discrimination, gender discrimination, and competency to handle the succession into the new position as described by the Constitution of the United States.

What really is important to remember with the media's concerns is that everyone in the Country is "one heart beat away" from going to eternity, to the life hereafter. Everyone is important in the scheme of things, and no one has a greater monopoly on what happens after our departure from this earth. In my lifetime, my recollection is that only one President was assassinated while in the office of Presidency at an early age, but that President was followed by the existing Vice President who was at a senior age in comparison to the President.

In assessing the health of any person, we have all seen and heard of cases of persons in very good health quickly taken by a serious accident, a serious illness, or an unexplained heart attack eventually claiming the life of that person. Since the world is a stage on the horizontal side, each person has a role and a mission to be completed before his or her life is terminated by whatever means or conditions. Each individual is expected to complete their mission, their goals, and their roles in the best possible manner to the maximum degree.

Each person has one day at a time; each person gets the same number of hours in a week (168); and each person is unable to store up or bottle any unused time for the future. What often occurs in the world is that some people like to use stratification as a means to discriminate and to isolate and to make exclusive their own value as human beings based on income, prestigious education, exclusive clubs, and circle of associates that are extremely exclusive.

Imagine if we knew at what hour and what day our temporary life would come to an end. What would we do differently? What would we try to achieve before we were called by God to eternity? What would we try to accomplish with our stewardship...our time, our talents, and our treasures? Each person would have to answer that question for himself or herself. Would we look at poverty in a different light? What does it really mean to be poor? How many people have enormous fortunes but who act out of of "spirit of poverty."? Many poor people want to keep their dignity by accepting a hand up rather than a hand out.

Today is a day of celebration of a person who had wealth and fortune as a result of his family inheritance. However, he gave up all of those earthly possessions and devoted his life in assisting the poor and the poor in spirit. He left a special legacy that in modern times would be considered foolish and foolhardy. Yet, no billionaire has been able to take a single bit of fortune with him or her to eternity. We came into to this world with very little and we leave this world with very little. However, the legacy that we leave for others is what really counts. Each unique human being living on the face of this earth does make a difference in the lives of others...one way or another.

WHAT WE DO DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. WE ARE ALL GOD'S CREATURES...FULL TIME...whether we like that or not. IF WE ARE FULL-TIME, GOD LOVING HUMAN BEINGS, WE WILL ACT ACCORDINGLY IN ALL SITUATIONS THAT REQUIRE AND DEMAND AN ETERNAL CHANGE OF HEART...before time runs out...Yes, we are all one beat away from eternity...believe it or not...your choice..CHOOSE LIFE...CHOOSE ETERNAL LIFE...CHOOSE GOD'S WAY, TRUTH, AND LIFE.

In closing, here is the verse that St. Francis of Assisi left for all of us to think about: "Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, and it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."