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 heeded! Saul was  a  mighty  man  and  valiant,  but when the  ghost  of  Samuel  said  to  him:  "  To-morrow thou  and  thy  sons  shall  be  with  me,"  he  fell  lifeless from very  terror. Brethren, each  one  of  us,  if  we  fare no worse,  shall  one  day  hear  from  the  lips  of  a  physician or  of  a  priest  these  fated  words:  "  Your  case is  hopeless,  you  must  prepare  to  die;  you  must  prepare to  give  an  account  of  your  stewardship,  for  now you  can  be  steward  no  longer." Let not  your  comfortable circumstances  lead  you  to  bid  your  soul  eat, drink, and  make  merry,  for  that  long  years  of  enjoyment are  before  you,  for  this  very  night  God  may demand your  soul  of  you,  and  whose,  then,  will  be  all these things  you  have  provided? Let not  your  youth and strength  persuade  you  that  length  of  days  is  sure to be  your  lot,  for  very  often  death  acts  as  did  Jacob when, in  blessing  Joseph's  sons,  he,  contrary  to  all  expectations, crossed  his  hands  and  placed  his  right  on the  younger  and  on  the  older  his  left. Let no  sense of self-righteousness  make  you  overconfident  in  your final perseverance,  for  who  would  have  dreamt  that Judas's place  in  heaven  was  destined  to  be  occupied by a  crucified  thief? When our  summons  comes,  our uppermost thought  may  be  that  of  the  unjust steward: "What  shall  I  do?  What  shall  I  do?" Notice well  the  contrast  between  the  steward's dilemma  and  that  of  Dives. Each thinks  within  himself: "What  shall  I  do?" but one  is  embarrassed with riches,  the  other  is  face  to  face  with  ruin;  one concludes to  store  up  much  goods  for  many  years, the other  determines  to  distribute  even  his  master's