Thief In The Night (Unexpected Death)

The words “thief in the night” are familiar to us all, from our religious education perhaps. But, like so much of our formal training, words and phrases can pass over us, remaining almost unnoticed. Or they remain mere concepts — mere ideas we commit to memory. Yet, there are times when education takes on life, and we feel the direct impact on our lives of what we have been taught. The phrase “thief in the night,” for example.

We associate this phrase with the unexpected. We are caught off guard. Our taken-for-granted world is called into question. The neat assumptions that dominate our everyday lives are no longer so neat and clean-cut. The routine evaporates, and we are forced to confront the hour of the unexpected. The best-laid plans are disrupted, and we must adjust to what is new, unthinkable, and even fearful. We are forced to confront death. We must adjust to the unthinkable and the fearful.

We wonder if we will have the…