order in his court
"Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order, for you are about to die." —Isaiah 38:1
We all are about to die. Some will die soon and others very soon. Even if you don't die for fifteen (Is 38:5) or fifty years, life is short and death is soon. Death is always at the door. St. Thomas á Kempis said: "Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of one who expects to die before the day is out" (quoted in the Catechism, 1014). Therefore, it is time to put our houses in order.
Our houses and lives are not in order until we have given them totally to the Lord, until they are built on hearing and doing His word (Mt 7:24). Moreover, we are in disorder until we have repented of the disorders of sin and unforgiveness. Also, only by obeying the Lord can we become holy in every aspect of our conduct (1 Pt 1:15) and thereby put our houses in order. Finally, by finishing the work the Lord has given us to do, our lives are brought to order (see Jn 17:4). "Make sure that everything is done properly and in order" (1 Cor 14:40). The Lord is pleased "to see good order" among us (Col 2:5).
Death is soon. Order in the court of the all-holy God!
Prayer: Father, in the year of the Great Jubilee, give me Your shalom, Your harmonious order in my life.
Promise: "It is mercy I desire." —Mt 12:7
Praise: St. Lawrence used his ability to learn many languages to become a preacher and peacemaker to many nations.
Reference: (For related teaching, order our books, Living In Reality, and Unless the Lord Build the House.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, December 16, 1999
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 18, 1999