This life is fleeting. Take the counsel of Venerable Louis of Granada to make the most of our short time here on earth and prepare for your eternity.
The Brevity of Life
Consider then first of the shortness of our life, which thing the holy man Job considered, when he said: O Lord the days of man are very short, and thou knowest the number of the months, that he hath to live.
We see at this day, what a great matter it is for one to live threescore and ten, or fourscore years, and this is commonly the ordinary rate of man’s life: Insomuch as when they live so long, they accompt themselves not to be evil dealt withal.
As the Prophet signifieth, when he saith: The days of man are at the uttermost but threescore and ten years: and if the strongest do reach to fourscore, all that followeth is but labor, and grief.
Infancy and Sleep: Time That Is Hardly Life At All
Now if thou wilt divide this accompt into parts, and not reckon it thus in a gross sum, it seemeth unto me, that thou canst not well reckon the time of our infancy for any part of our life: and much less the time, that is consumed in sleep.
Because the life of infancy when we are not as yet come to the use of reason (which only sheweth us to be men) can not well be called the life of men, but rather the life of beasts, even as it were the life of a young goat, that goeth here and there skipping, and leaping: especially because we see that in all that age, there is nothing either learned, or done, that may well beseem the dignity of a man.
Now as touching the time that is spent in sleep, I see not how it may be called the time of life, seeing the principal part of our life is to have the use of our senses, and reason, which as then both the one and the other are suspended in us, and as it were dead.
Sleep as an Image of Death
And therefore a certain Philosopher said, that in the half of a man’s life there is no difference between the happy man, and unhappy: forsomuch as during the time of sleep all men are equal, because they be then as it were dead.
It is clear, that if a king should be detained as a prisoner for the space of one or two years, we can not say (and say truly) that he reigned during that time, seeing he enjoyed not the kingdom, nor governed the same like a king.
How then can it be said, that a man liveth whiles he sleepeth, seeing during that time the Seignory and use of his reason, yea and of his senses also, by which he liveth, stand as it were in suspense?
For this cause a certain Poet termed sleep the cousin germane of death, for the likeness and resemblance, which he perceived to be between the one, and the other.
How Much of Life Truly Remains?
Now then if so great a part of our life be spent in sleep, what a great part is that wherein it cannot be said that we do live at all.
And if it be the common custom of men to sleep the third part of the day, and night, which is eight whole hours, (although there be a great sort, that do not content themselves therewith) it followeth by this accompt, that the third part of our life is consumed in sleep, and so consequently, that during that time we do not live.
So that hereby thou mayest perceive, what a great part of our short life is spent in sleep every day.
This accompt therefore being thus made, (which undoubtedly is a very true accompt) how much is that, that remaineth of a man’s very life in deed, even of such I mean, as live longest?
Life as a Passing Moment
Certainly that philosopher had very great reason to do as he did, who being demanded what he thought of the life of a man, turned himself about before them that made the demand, and suddenly departed out of their sight.
Giving them thereby to understand, that our life is no more, but only a turn about, and of short continuance.
Our life is no more, but as it were the shooting of a star, that passeth at a trice, and flasheth quickly away, and within a little while after, even that very sign that was left behind, vanisheth out of sight also.
How Quickly Memory Fades
For within very few days after a man is departed out of this life, the very remembrance of him dieth with his life, be the personage never so great, or honorable.
To conclude, this life seemed so short to many of the ancient wisemen, that one of them termed it a dream: and an other not contented therewith, called it the dream of a shadow, seeming to him that it was overmuch to call it the dream of a true thing in deed, being as he thought it none other than a dream of a vain and frivolous thing.
This Life Compared to Eternity
Again, if we compare this small remnant of the life that we here live, with the life to come, how much less will it yet appear?
Ecclesiasticus saith very well: If the number of a man’s days be an hundred years, it is much. Now what is all this (being compared with the life everlasting) but as it were a drop of water compared with all the whole Sea?
The Perspective of Heaven
And the reason hereof is evident. For if a star (which is far greater than all the whole earth) being compared with the rest of heaven, seemeth so small a thing, how small shall this present life (which is so short) seem to be, being compared with the life to come, that shall never have end?
And if (as the astronomers affirm) all the whole earth in comparison of heaven be but as it were a little pin’s point, because the inestimable greatness of the heavens causeth it to seem so small a thing, what shall this little puff of our short life seem to be, if it be compared with life everlasting, which is infinite?
The Judgment of the Damned
Undoubtedly it will seem nothing at all. For if a thousand years in the sight of almighty God, be no more but as it were yesterday, which is now past, and gone, what shall the life of one hundred years seem to be in his sight, but only a very nothing?
And thus it seemeth unto the damned persons, when they make comparison between this life, which they have left behind them, with the eternity of the torments, which they shall suffer for evermore.
A Warning from the Book of Wisdom
As they themselves do confess in the book of wisdom in these words:
What hath our pride availed us, and the pomp of our riches? All these things are past away, as it were a shadow that flieth, and as one that rideth swiftly in post, or as the ship that passeth by the waters, and leaveth no sign where it hath gone, or as an arrow shot at a certain mark, which so soon as the air hath once opened, and made him his way, forthwith it closeth up again, and it is not known which way it went.
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This article is taken from a chapter in The Book of Prayer and Meditation by Venerable Louis of Granada which is available from TAN Books.
