Sutera’s Title for today caught my attention: “We die to live forever”. The emphasis is placed not on death as the end of life but as a new birth into eternal life. Death is the threshold from this life to the next and inevitable. Keeping death before our eyes as Benedict offers in the Rule can seem initially gloomy but taken in the full context of the cycle of life-death-rebirth it’s not so for me anymore as I sit with this. The Ephesians passage (2:4-10) provides the key – out of God’s great hospitality, he offers me relationship every day, every moment and gives me free will to respond. In those moments I am bathed in his grace and raised up and showered with love. I can hold that as an objective truth, but in the moments I need to pay more attention to make choices that keep me on the road, by the grace of God,toward that eternal destination after death. Images capture concepts for me, so I’ve printed the picture from the link below as a reminder for myself this Lenten season. I share it with you and am wondering what helps you remember to stay focused on your desire for eternal life?
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Walking with Benedict 
I like the question you asked Gail: what helps you remember to stay focused on your desire for eternal life? and I have linked it with the Lenten Action for this day: Imagine your own death and what others might be thinking and feeling. How do you think you will be remembered?
This brings back memories of when I was in a place of spiritual growth and tension, of religiosity versus spirituality, of asking myself if it is more important to follow the “rules” or to love unconditionally. Not that rules are bad in so far as they don’t lead to exclusion and judgement. So I began asking myself, “When I die, what do I want people saying about me?” The answer became very clear. I didn’t want people to be saying, “She was such a good Catholic, such a good rule follower.” I wanted them to say, “Look how she loved! She didn’t judge and loved unconditionally.” So this is how I want to live my life. As a good Catholic, yes. But a good Catholic in that I love, include, and treat others as I treat myself. This is how I stay focused on my desire for eternal life. Its not easy, but its a challenge that is asked of all of us.
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Yes, for me… it wouldn’t be as meaningful to hear “she followed all the rules” in the sense of literally, as it would be to hear “she led people to love God and Sacred Scripture”, and in doing so followed the spirit of the law.
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