Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

REFLECTION:

On All Souls Day, I went to visit my aunt’s grave that Sunday afternoon. It was just me there, so I sat quietly, read a book, and prayed. As I looked around the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery, I noticed the tombstone right next to my aunt’s. It belonged to a soldier who had received the Purple Heart and other medals of honor. I paused for a while, realizing that a decorated soldier rested beside my aunt — a simple widow of a veteran. Yet, as I looked across the rows of graves, I saw that every headstone looked the same. The size, color, and design were uniform, no matter who was buried there.

That sight made me realize something profound: in the end, all our titles, awards, and achievements fade away. Whether we were soldiers or teachers, business owners or homemakers, rich or poor — death reminds us that our life was never truly ours to begin with.

From the moment we are conceived until the day we take our last breath, our life belongs to God. We didn’t choose to be born, and most of us will not decide when we die. The time in between — our years of living — is not ours to control, but ours to steward in love, faith, and service.

St. Paul’s words in Romans 14 remind us: “None of us lives for ourselves, and none of us dies for ourselves. If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord.”

In other words, every moment we are given is on loan from God — a gift meant to be used for His purpose.

If our life is not our own, then how should we live it?

• We live it for the Lord when we forgive even when it’s hard.
• We live it for the Lord when we serve others quietly without expecting recognition.
• We live it for the Lord when we use our time and talents to build up faith, family, and community.
• We live it for the Lord when we pray, when we care for the poor, when we love as Christ loved.

Living for the Lord means realizing that our daily choices — how we speak, act, and treat one another — all belong to Him. One day, when our life here ends, what will matter most is not what we accomplished, but who we belonged to.

In the end, death reminds us that all things are made equal. What remains is not the mark of success, but the seal of faith.


So today, let us live each moment remembering that our life is not ours — it is God’s. And if it is God’s, then let us live it well: with gratitude, with mercy, and with love.