As autumn progresses, the days get shorter and the leaves begin to fall off of the trees. There’s something about this effect that naturally turns the human mind to ponder death, both the death of others we have known, as well as our own ultimate fate. We may wonder what happens after our time on earth is through. This brings to mind a song by Tim McGraw that came out about 20 years ago that struck a chord in me, called Live Like You Were Dying.

Thankfully, the Christian Church from its earliest days has had an answer for this. For those of us who believe in Jesus the Christ who suffered, died, and rose from the dead, we know that He defeated the powers of hell in the three days that His body was in the tomb. This allows all of us human beings to have a chance at entering heaven for eternity.

In order to enter Heaven at the final judgment, we must first utilize our God-Given free will during our time on earth properly. We need to make a habit of choosing to follow Christ in our everyday lives, and when we fail, to confess our sins to Him and receive His forgiveness. We should also live our lives in such a way that we practice the seven Virtues in our lives on a daily basis.

What, you may ask, are the seven Virtues? They are broken down into two groups, the Theological Virtues, and the Moral Virtues. The Theological Virtues are Faith, Hope, and Charity (Love). The Moral Virtues are Prudence, Justice, Fortitude (Courage), and Temperance (Moderation).

What is so important about these, then? The Theological Virtues are those things which bring us ever closer to our Lord in an intimate way. Through the constant practice of living in Faith, Hope, and loving unconditionally to the point of wanting the best for others without regard to the cost to one’s self (true Charity), we enter more and more fully into the mindset of Jesus. This is how we can begin to scratch the surface of how He could give up His life for you and for me.

The Moral Virtues support us in the acquisition of the Theological Virtues. As it states in Proverbs, “The man of discretion watches how he treads.” (Proverbs 14:15) Prudence and Temperance keep us from going to extremes, from getting too high, too low, too zealous, or too lazy. Fortitude, or Courage, allows us to do the right thing even though we may be afraid, even to stand up to those in power who are in error and going against Jesus’ teachings. Justice ensures that we give a fair shake to everyone, whether in praise or punishment. If we incorporate these virtues into our lives on a daily basis, we will indeed become better people, closer to the mind of Jesus, and more likely to be with Him in heaven when our time on earth is through. This is the truest way that we can live like we were dying!

This all may seem daunting, if not overwhelming, or even impossible! However, we do have role-models for living a fully Virtuous Christian Life. We call them Saints. While everyone who enters Heaven is a saint, there are certain extraordinary individuals whom the Church has affirmed, through documented miracles attributed to their intercession to God after death, that the Church holds out for us to emulate. People like St. Peter and St. Paul from biblical times to St. Carlo Acutis from our own time. You can just search for ‘Saints’ in any search engine and many, many names will come forward. They all shared in living lives of Virtue (some after some particularly bad lives before their conversions i.e. St. Augustine of Hippo).

So, no matter where you may be at the current moment, you can make it to heaven after death by beginning to, or continuing to, live a Virtuous life in your limited time here on earth. Also, make sure to attend your church, whether it be Holy Trinity or any other Church that teaches the Virtues and helps you to become a better and better person emulating the life of Jesus. In this way, we can, in a positive way, live like we were dying, as we would anticipate complete and total happiness after death.

Let us pray for each other and help lift each other up to a more virtuous life here and now so that we will celebrate, and not suffer, for eternity.

Rev. John A. Cramer
Pastor of Holy Trinity NCC, Kewanee, Ill.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.

***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association