to make light of what is mortal

We hear from a remarkable saint today in A Year with the Church Fathers. St Agapius speaks to us from the Roman colosseum, where he is about to die as a martyr. He tells the crowd that he hasn't been dragged there against his will. That he rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer martyrdom for Jesus. ANd then he says some things that are so profound I have to just give them to you verbatim. He says: "Furthermore, I am contending for the sake of my faith, to give encouragement to those who are younger than I am, so that they too may despise death while they follow after their true life, and may disregard the grave in order to obtain a Kingdom: so that they should make light of what is mortal, and always remember the life of the Giver of life; and so that they should not have any dread of punishment that is momentary, but be in fear of those flames that are never quenched."

To make light of what is mortal. Not to take too seriously the fact that we will die. He said this while staring death in the face. To despise death while he followed after his true life. These are the words that will kindle a fire within us, if we allow them to. If we meditate on what it means to make light of what is mortal, and follow hard after the REAL life that God gives us, both now and in the world to come.

Remember these words when you're facing the dull banalities of life tomorrow. When you hear the news from the doctor. When there's a car accident. When we read about another shooting. We look death in the face, like Agapius did, and we despise it. We take our mortality lightly, and look forward to what is more real than death itself: our lives in eternity.

God, please remind us daily to remember what really matters.