Can you remember your last life-wake-up call? They come in all forms: it could be a failing grade in math class; a conversation with your boss, husband, or wife; or a close call on the road, to name a few. But then there are the wake-up calls like King Hezekiah received.
In today’s first reading, the prophet Isaiah visits the king and says, “Thus says the Lord: Put your house in order, for you are about to die.” This must have been a shock; even though he was ill, Hezekiah wasn’t yet forty years old.
In earnest prayer, Hezekiah turns away from the prophet and calls upon the Lord’s mercy, recalling his faithfulness in doing what pleased God.
It’s worth noting that God’s kindness was evidenced by warning Hezekiah that the end was near … not everyone has this warning or chance to set their lives in order.
As I thought about this reality, I remembered a song by Garth Brooks that has touched millions of lives, titled, “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” (Don’t worry, no singing in this homily.) In the song, Brooks wonders late at night while watching his wife sleeping, “If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her?”
He goes on to confess that in the past, he missed the chance to share with loved ones how much they meant to him, and he tells of a haunting regret. Brooks ends the song by saying, “So tell that someone that you love, just what you're thinking of … if tomorrow never comes.”
King Hezekiah, through God’s mercy, has that opportunity to tell God how his love for Him has caused him to faithfully and wholeheartedly live in God’s presence. God’s response is to heal him, to add fifteen more years to his life, and to free his city.
The Lord provides the physical remedy and a sign, the reversal of the sun’s shadow by ten steps, just as the Lord reversed the ticking clock on Hezekiah’s life.
We have all experienced wake-up calls that have caused us to pray like Hezekiah, reminding the Lord of how we have sought to be faithful and true to God’s call. At times, the Lord uses these wake-up calls to be catalysts to get our spiritual and relational houses in order, and, often, that involves repentance, reconciliation, and recommitment to Him and our loved ones.
“If Tomorrow Never Comes” reminds us not to wait to tell our loved ones what they mean to us in words and deeds, but it can also help us to do the same with God.
To paraphrase the song, have we told God how much we love Him? Have we tried in every way to show Him just how much He means to us? Is there something we need to do today to get our houses in order? How blessed we are to be here and have this day and God’s loving wake-up call.
Reverend David S. Marcham is the Vice Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Patrick Peyton, and Director of the Father Peyton Guild, whose members pray for Father Peyton’s beatification and spread his message of the importance of Family Prayer. Prior to becoming a seminarian, Father David was a physical therapist and clinical instructor, serving hospital inpatients and outpatients throughout the greater Boston area for eleven years. In 1998 he heard the call to priesthood and was ordained in the Archdiocese of Boston in 2005. Father David grew up in Quincy, MA, and has fond memories of playing soccer, tennis and running track. You’re never without a friend when Father David is around, as he welcomes everyone into his circle with a smile on his face!
