The phrase, ‘The Bucket List’ was made popular from the 2007 movie , by the same name, when two terminally ill men escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos before they die. Corporate billionaire Edward Cole (played by Jack Nicholson) and working class mechanic Carter Chambers ( played by Morgan Freeman) have nothing in common except for their terminal illnesses. While sharing a hospital room together, they decide to leave it and do all the things they have ever wanted to do before they die according to their bucket list. In the process, both of them heal each other, become unlikely friends, and ultimately find joy in life.
What struck me about this movie is how the unselfish nature of billionaire Edward Cole came to surface by having his goal to help Carter Chambers complete his bucket list. It caused me to wonder how many of my dreams and goals are focused on others, not myself.
St. Paul in the letter to the Romans, speaks of God’s gifts to us as members of the body of Christ and how we should use them in everyday life to help one another. For example, Teaching is not for the teacher’s self fulfillment but for the benefit of others.
We all may have a “Bucket List” of things you want to do. However, we may want to include in our goals in life to help others achieve their goals. May God give us the grace to exercise humility, generosity, and the care for others. Together through prayer and service, Deacon Mike