“This is the writing that was inscribed:
MENE, TEKEL, and PERES.
These words mean:
MENE, God has numbered your kingdom and put an end to it;
TEKEL, you have been weighed on the scales and found wanting;
PERES, your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” (Dn 5:25-28)
None of us like to think that our days are numbered. However, they are.
God knew how many days each of us would have from the moment we were conceived in our mothers’ wombs.
There are times in our lives — critical sickness, serious accident, et cetera — when we can almost “see” the days that we have lived and the days that may be left. It often chills us because, even though we all say that we long for the Kingdom of Heaven, none of us seem to want to take the express train there.
When someone does become critically ill, perhaps even terminally ill, that person begins to mark the days in a decidedly different way than in the past.
As humans, after all, we can be rather cavalier about death. We all think that we are going to live for a long time, that nothing serious can touch us.
Well, I hate to burst your bubble (mine as well); but, we are all mortal, finite creatures. Our days truly are numbered.
If that is the case, the last thing we want is to be “found wanting” on the day that God calls us.
Today’s reading is a reminder to us, a “call to arms” of sorts, that we are responsible to the Lord. Let us live as His faithful servants today.
FAITH ACTION: As our days are numbered, ask the Lord if you have used your days wisely thus far. Ask for guidance for the steps you take, the words you choose, and the actions you make this day.