The other triduum

Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day. These three days can be called the other triduum of the Christian calendar. Rather than being days that take us through the reality of Jesus’ suffering and death, they are days that point us toward our own mortality and the finite nature of our own lives. What a good idea. No really.

There are lots of ways we could talk about the death defying nature of American culuture, from the statistics about how many Americans die in hospitals or institutions (death is no longer a part of our home lives) to the amount of money spent on healthcare in the last few months of someone’s life. Or just look at the articles and advertisements in a men’s or women’s magazine next time you are standing in line at the grocery store. Most will be offering some variation on “a life free from suffering in ten easy steps” or “simple home remedy to keep you looking young.” We seem to be willing to go to enormous lengths to pretend that death does not exist  least to try to pretend that it won’t happen to us.

Except on Halloween. On Halloween we, Americans, immerse ourselves in reminders of the mortal nature of human existence. And for those of us who are Christian, we spend two more days honoring the faithful departed, both the famous saints everyone knows and also those whose remarkable deeds are only shared in family stories at Thanksgiving dinner. We willing surround ourselves with death. The question is, will we really let it sink into our souls?

I believe there is a gift in acknowledging our mortality. Sure, as with all things we can go too far, and become depressed and fearful. Or we can choose to let the knowledge of our own death inspire us to live life more fully. We can stop saying, “Oh, I’ll do that next year.” The only guarantee we have is the here and now. 

Let us carry our mortality from this triduum into the coming days and weeks. May the reality of death be inspiration to live more holy lives that are filled with joy and gratitude.