¹ Let us now reflect on the end of our lives. We’ve already said that human life is a journey—uncertain, fragile, and fleeting—and we’ve shown how it’s not what it appears to be, likening it to a shadow. We’ve spoken, too, of how suddenly and blindly it passes. But now, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we must turn our thoughts to life’s conclusion. Just as travelers are eager to reach their true home—feeling restless along the way but secure once they arrive—so we, too, should hurry toward our eternal homeland. Our life is like a single day’s journey. So, let us not set our hearts on what is here. Instead, let our love be directed upward. Let us long for what is above, seek wisdom from above, and set our hearts on our true homeland—above. For where our Father is, there is our home. We do not belong to this world; our citizenship is not on earth, because our Father dwells in heaven.

² Indeed, by the power of His might and the greatness of His divinity, God is present everywhere: He is deeper than the sea, more stable than the earth, wider than the universe, purer than the air, higher than the heavens, and more radiant than the sun. Yet He is clearly revealed in heaven—the place of the Bread of Angels, where His holy ones, as members of His household, dwell in the blessed court of the highest heaven and behold the glory of God. Still, because human nature in its weakness cannot endure the pure and infinite reality of the invisible God, God, in His mercy—He in whom all things exist and outside of whom nothing exists—chose to begin revealing Himself within the first heaven. This first realm He tempered by the waters He raised above it, and entrusted it to the heavenly beings. For unless that first heaven had been moderated by those waters, it would be unbearable to lower creatures, being ignited by the overwhelming power of the Most High. So, although God is present everywhere, He remains unseen. He surpasses all vision and understanding, for He is greater than all things—having created all from nothing.

³ Thus, though God may be perceived in some way, He still remains invisible—for only He fully knows who He is and how great He is. Yet even so, let us seek Him, for He makes Himself present to each person according to the measure of their purity. Though invisible and beyond all comprehension, He is God—the Holy Trinity. Let us seek Him, whether here in this life or in the life to come. Let us seek Him more deeply. Let us press inward; let us strive to understand Him more clearly. And while we are still on this journey, let us sing and say with longing hearts: “We will run after you to the fragrance of your ointments”; “My soul clings to you”; and again, “Draw me: we will run after you”. Let these sacred songs carry us swiftly through this passing world, as our hearts are drawn upward. Let us fix our minds on the things above, paying little regard to what is merely present and fleeting. For unless we burn with a restless desire for what is heavenly, we will inevitably cling to what is earthly.

⁴ Let us, then, devote ourselves to the things of God, lest we become entangled in merely human affairs. As pilgrims on the way, let us constantly yearn for our true homeland—let us always long for it. For just as travelers eagerly look forward to their destination, so too should we desire the end of our journey. Since we are only passing through this world, let us keep the goal of our journey in mind—our life’s end—for the end of this journey is our eternal home. But not all who pass through this life reach the same destination: each will receive according to their deeds. The righteous, good travelers, will find rest in their true homeland, while the wicked will be cut off from it. Many lose their eternal home because they fall in love with the journey itself. Let us not prefer the road to the destination—let us not love this passing life more than the eternal one—lest we lose the homeland prepared for us. For we do indeed have a homeland, one truly worthy of our love.

⁵ Let this resolve take root in us: that we live in this world as travelers, as pilgrims, as guests—passing through, not settling in. Let us be bound to no earthly desire, craving nothing temporal, but instead filling our souls with what is heavenly and spiritual. Let our lives sing with both virtue and action the words of the psalmist: “When shall I come and behold the face of God?”; “My soul thirsts for the strong, living God”; and again, “My soul is like parched earth before you”. And With the Apostle Paul, let us say: “I desire to depart and be with Christ”. Let us remember: though we are exiled from the Lord while we dwell in the body, we are nevertheless always before the eyes of God.

⁶ Therefore, setting aside all laziness and spiritual lukewarmness, let us earnestly strive to please the One who is present everywhere, so that with a clear conscience we may joyfully pass from this present life’s journey into the blessed homeland of our eternal Father. Let us pass from what is seen to what is hoped for, from sorrow to joy, from what perishes to what endures forever, from earthly things to heavenly things, from the land of death to the land of the living. There we shall see the things of heaven face to face, and behold our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings, who reigns in righteousness over His eternal kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.