The Church in its wisdom holds before us at this period in November the last things. All saints, in heaven, the second, Purgatory, and then the final end of the world in Christ=s second coming. This of course is not strange to us as monks because we have in chapter 4 the four last things listed one after the other and ends up with Akeep death daily before your eyes.@ That=s not a morbid thought at all but really the essential element of monastic life. That the monk really seeks what is lasting. But it=s good for us to reflect on the last things. Fr. Di Noia gives an interesting presentation of what hell is like. He says, Ait=s like a teenager going to a French restaurant that=s exquisite and serves lavish seven course meals, while really what he wants is pizza.@ And so dish after dish comes and all he thinks of is what he doesn=t like and he walks out hungry and yearning for pizza. In other words, hell is the failure to walk through one=s whole life without acquiring a taste for God. And of course it must be strange to us as monks who came precisely to seek God. But it=s also important for us to reflect on Purgatory because we know that Purgatory in a certain sense is the monastic life. Because Purgatory is the place where people are purified to be ready for the fullness of God=s presence. And it=s difficult for us, at times, to let go of things. Thornton Wilder=s play called AThe Sea Shall Give Up it=s Dead@ there=s a character, the character is a religious who=s thinking heaven is going to be a great place because he=s going to see Coleridge and Augustine and Jesus discussing things together and he=s just going to be in ecstasy about these things. And of course what he=s really hanging on to is his own mind. He won=t let go. Or you can read C. S. Lewis= AThe Great Divorce.@ Where people are in hell and they get a second chance. And each one fails because they won=t let go. Now this is not strange to people of the bible. Already our father, Abraham, who had lived a long time in barrenness, finally at 101 receives the gift of his promised son, Isaac. And then the Lord says, Aoffer him up. Sacrifice him.@ Showing us that what God expects of us is that we really see where is the center of the universe and the world. It=s God. So we need to ask ourselves, in this period of the Church and it=s wisdom guiding us, what really is the center of our life? What are the things, the concerns, and the desires that occupy you most frequently? What are the powers that you rely on when things get rough? Are they really centered around God? Or are they centered around something else? When we put it this way it is strong and sharp, but the truth is that there isn=t anything more loveable, more worthwhile giving ourselves to, then the God of the universe who tremendously loves us and embraces us constantly in His mercy.

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