Of all the sad words of tongue or pen the saddest are these: "It might have been"

"Don’t fancy that your age can make you look forward to a long life. It is too uncertain, my dear boys. Rather, it is quite certain that some day you shall die and that a bad death brings eternal misery. Therefore, be more concerned with keeping yourselves in the state of grace in order to meet death than with anything else." – St John Bosco

Gospel Text: (MT 25:1-13)
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’
But the wise ones replied,
‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Without getting over-dramatic or apocalyptic, we need to remember that we don't know the "rest of the story" when it comes to our life. We don't know the “hour or the day”.

Over the years I've heard so many people say, "I'm not ready to really get serious about my faith; maybe later." They have never joined the “bridal party”.

Others are like the five foolish virgins. Having begun in the Church, their “lamps” have grown dim or dark due to pride or the cares and allurements of this world.

Let us not wait for a “tomorrow” —that may never come— to trim up the lamp of our love for the “Spouse”. Carpe diem! We must live every second of our life with all the passion a Christian must feel for his Lord. It is a well-known saying but we might as well refresh our memory: «Live every day of your life as if it is your first, as if it is your only available day, as if it is your last day» - A realistic call for a necessary and reasonable conversion that we have to carry out.

"Memento Mori" - Remember Death