November kicks off with some amazing feast days — All Saints Day and All Souls Day. While these great feast days are a special time for us to celebrate and pray for the holy men and women who have gone before us, they also tell us something extremely important about us that we cannot afford to forget: One day, you and I will also die.

“The world is thy ship and not thy home,” as St. Therese of Lisieux reminds us. This “ship” is heading to one of two eternal destinations: heaven or hell. We want to make it to our true home, heaven. We want to be one of those great Saints whom we celebrate on All Saints Day. These men and women, however, did not suddenly become virtuous and heroic saints at the moment of their death. Rather, their entire lives were a steering of the ship towards their true home. Every single day is full of many choices in front of us that steer our ship towards an eternal destiny. It is through each little yes to virtue, sacrifice, and love every single day that we steer our ship home.

It is through each little yes to virtue, sacrifice, and love every single day that we steer our ship home.

It is far too easy to get distracted by the business of life and forget this truth. But what if we chose to wake up every single day remembering that this day could be our last? How would we choose to live? I could imagine that we would love harder, forgive more readily, and live life more fully.

November is not just a month to remember those who have gone before us; it is also a time to remember our own death that will come. Let us keep our eyes fixed on and choose to live every day for our true home.

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Truth from Scripture:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

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Wisdom from the Saints:

“Let us endeavor to get to heaven! There we shall see God. How happy we shall feel! We must get to heaven!”

// St. John Vianney