We should save the deathbed conversion scenes for the movies. It is highly unlikely that, with tubes protruding from our nostrils, under the influence of a vast array of drugs, and surrounded by a team of medical professionals, we will have the wherewithal to finally and definitively commend our lives to the Lord. All of this is possible but highly unlikely! We can instead play the long game by rising from our beds each morning, allowing our knees to touch the ground, and saying with great confidence, “Jesus, I trust in you!” As the day unfolds we can carve out time, in the bathroom at work, or on a hiking trail on the way back from school, or on the back porch before everyone gets home, to check in with the Lord, and then enjoy some quiet time with a religious icon, a chapter of our favorite gospel, a rosary, or an examen before going to bed. Such a gradual path of conversion is not only more realistic but is sure to unlock the hidden spiritual juices that fuel our ongoing transformation. We shall, indeed, spend a lifetime of handing over our spirit to the Lord as everywhere and everything becomes the blessed deathbed of our salvation (Lk 23:46). Ave Crux, Spes Unica.
July 26, 2025
Published
Yes, the gradual and active cultivation of our conversion is a blessing.