Semper Paratus
A few weeks ago, my family attended a centennial celebration for a local firefighting company. As we toured the station, I had a chance to talk with one of the firefighters and asked him for advice on how to prepare my family for worst-case scenarios—especially with four kids under the age of 8.
His advice was straightforward: have a plan and practice it. In many things, that’s what it comes down to. Have a plan, put it into practice, and hope that, if the time comes, your preparation will guide you through.
This idea of readiness reminded me of the motto of the U.S. Coast Guard: Semper Paratus—“Always Prepared.” It also brought to mind another Latin phrase: Memento Mori, which means, “Remember your death.”
This raises a deeper question: Are we prepared for that?
While it might sound odd to have a “plan” for dying, Jesus reminds us that we “do not know the day or the hour.” It’s not about planning for the moment of death but living each day with purpose and readiness. We prepare for death by having a plan for life—a life of faith, love, and mercy.
The best preparation is living a life that, when death does come knocking, our hearts are already aligned with God. As we prepare our families for emergencies, may we also prepare our souls by staying close to Christ, living out our faith with virtue and conviction, so that we, too, may be semper paratus—always prepared.