When Is Our Time to Die?

the first thing this okay I'm going to be nitpicky and I apologize for this hi my name is father Mike Schmitz and this is the C present so someone recently asked me this question they said does God take us when he feels like our time here is over now taking out the word feel that what it think when God thinks our time here is over even the phrasing of the question again I'm not trying to be too nitpicky but I think it's important the phrasing of the question is well yeah God just thinks this but

he could be wrong when we say it like that God feels this but he could be wrong God thinks this but he could be wrong as opposed to does God take us to himself when our word work here is over that's it because remember God is not one among many he is the only one right God is not an opinion God is truth God is fact God does not take us when he feels that our work here is done or when he thinks our work here is done the question most clearly phrased is does God

take us to himself when our work here is done and the answer is I don't really know you're like wow you just wasted a lot of time to tell us that you don't know something well wait there's more about what I don't know because here's what we do know we do know that God is omniscient right God knows everything so he knows I mean scripture even talks about how God knows that our days are numbered that God knows how many breaths we have God knows how many beats of our heart that we get in our

lifetime that that God he already knows right he's outside of time and he's also present to us in time and he knows so in some ways we'd say that absolutely God knows and he takes us to himself when our work here is done in some ways like that right he knows how how long our lives are going to last secondly we also know that our lives matter to God our that our choices matter to God but that phrasing when our work here is done I think has to be understood in a broader context than we

might think why because we know there are some people who have lived a long time and have done a lot of work we also know that there are people who never saw the light of day that they were conceived in the womb and they died in the womb or they died so young that like what work quote unquote work was there for them to do we have to put this into context is that for all of us is it true that for all of us God takes us to himself when our work here is done

and again I think to ask it like that assumes a lot again what we know is God knows the length of Our Lives what we know is that every person who's ever been created has been created on purpose and that's the reality that even if someone never had a chance to take breath out outside of their mother's womb they were created on purpose that that God wanted them to exist and this is true for you too wherever you are in life if you are if you are you are you exist for one reason and that's

because God wants you to exist what about that work part what about this this work part you know um when uh when my mom got diagnosed with with pancreatic cancer uh she was able to live for 3 years after the DI agnosis and it was a blessing but I remember her asking the question cuz she was seeing a lot of her uh you know people who would get chemo with her or people who also had cancer or people even she grew up with they were already dying and she was she was asking the question why

am I still alone she asked even asked the question what does God want me to do like why is he keeping me around is there more he wants me to do is is there a work like the question is there a work that he wants me to do and and it was a question that I mean I think it stuck with her all the way to the end so why am I still around what do you because she because she wanted to do it right that was the thing is is that if God wants me

around here to do something I want to make make sure I'm doing it and after she passed away uh I don't know if it was my dad or maybe it was one of my siblings who who said you know Mom had that question the question was why is God allowing me to live so much longer after the diagnosis like what work does he want me to do and they said maybe one of the reasons why God allowed her to live that extra time was so that she could hear from others how much she meant to

them that she could hear from other people tell her that actually you matter to me here's what you mean to me and here's the good you brought into my life and for her at the having those extra months or however long it was to hear people tell her that she mattered maybe that was the work that's why I say that I don't know if it's if it's helpful to say does God take us to himself when our work here is done well maybe May it's not just work maybe it's not what I contribute maybe it's

not what I do maybe it's not what I accomplish maybe it's the fact that being just existing is the work so here's an infant that either dies in the womb or dies shortly after he never had a chance to do all the things that we've got a chance to do maybe their work was to exist cuz let's pause in this ver second we believe that those who die in the Lord are alive in the Lord and so even if the the the accomplishments they could have on this Earth are done they're active in heaven pausing

this for one moment and realize that in heaven they are experiencing receiving God's love in a way that you and I could never even imagine they're also able to give God praise and love and others love and support in a way that we could not ever dream of or imagine there's a prayer in the mass that says we believe that with death life is changed not ended and so this this this deep and profound truth of when our work here is done yeah but even if someone died so young and they never were able to

accomplish anything on this Earth other than maybe maybe their parents love them maybe their parents didn't love them but they exist now and maybe that EX existence the very fact of their existence is their work because the fact that they exist the fact that you exist points to God does that make sense I don't know it's just it's a great question and I've been very nitpicky about the whole thing today and I apologize but I'm gonna leave with one last thing um it's a it's a prayer from a man named St John Henry Cardinal Newman

so he's a cardinal in the Catholic church we named the Newman house Newman Center after him and he said this he I'm to read it because it's kind of important so when it comes to the task we have in this life task we have on this Earth he said this he said God has created me to do him some definitive service he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another I have my mission I may never know it in this life but I shall be told it in the next I'm

a link in a chain a bond of connection between persons he has not created me for not I shall do good I shall do his work I shall be an angel of Peace a preacher of Truth in my own place while not intending it if I do but keep his Commandments lastly he said therefore I will trust him I love this therefore I will trust him why because I've been made on purpose there's some kind of purpose and that purpose could just be simply be to exist and glorify God he says therefore I will trust

him whatever I am I can never be thrown away if I am in sickness my sickness may serve him in perplexity my perplexity may serve him if I'm in sorrow my sorrow may serve him he does nothing in vain he knows what he is about he may take away my friends he may throw me among strangers he may make me feel desolate make my spirits sink hide my future from me still he knows what he is about so does God take us when our work here is done I don't know but I do know that

the very fact that you exist means you can give glory to God because the very fact that you exist means that he wants you to be when the time comes to be on this Earth to an end and he wants you to be with him forever in heaven anyways from presents my name is father Mike God bless therefore I will trust him if I'm in sickness therefore I will trust him whatever I am whatever therefore I will trust him little beeper yeah therefore I I will trust him