Game 162 and Death

When I woke up this morning, I was instantly struck by how bittersweet the day was going to be.  Today marked Game 162 in the baseball calendar which is the last day in the regular season.  The post-season will begin on Tuesday and will find its sorrowful end at the conclusion of the World Series.

Game 162 is always a little difficult for me to take.  Regular season baseball is one of my joys since it really becomes part of your daily routine.  It fills your summer afternoon and evenings but then it leaves you alone to face the bitter cold of November and December.  As the end of the baseball season winds down I am always reminded of death.  The season in all of its glory will eventually end.  Life with of all its glory will end as well.

In the Epistle today, St. Paul exhorts us to redeem the time:

"Brethren, See how you walk circumspectly, not as unwise, but as wise redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore, become not unwise, but understanding what is the will of God. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is luxury: but be ye filled with the Holy Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord: giving thanks always for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God and the Father; being subject one to another in the fear of Christ."

-Ephesians 5:15-21, Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost  

Time is  important for us since we can either utilize it for the salvation of our souls or damnation of it.  I think that October represents this whole notion perfectly.  As the weather gets colder, as the baseball season is finishing, and as the days get shorter, we are reminded of how valuable time is (or at least I am).  Let us be wise and redeem the time for the days are truly evil.