THE BUCKET LIST

While on my recent holiday, I saw the movie “The Bucket List”. The story is about two men, one a billionaire played by Jack Nicholson, the other an auto mechanic played by Morgan Freeman. They meet in a hospital room, both suffering from cancer. They share in the same experience of being treated with chemotherapy and the after-effects of it. Eventually, they are both told that all the treatments have failed and that they have only six months to a year to live.

In reaction to this news, they draw up a list, the bucket list, things they would like to do before they “kick the bucket”. With the finances of the rich man, they are able to fulfil their dreams such as sky-diving, racing sports cars, travel the world etc. Some things on their list were more profound. One of them was to help a complete stranger for the good, another was witness something majestic.

There was no one in his life to prevent the rich man from pursuing his dreams but the mechanic has a wife and family. However, his marriage had lost much of its excitement and the relationship with his wife lacked any spark. He shares with his new found friend about this by saying that he could not remember what it felt like without walking down the street holding hands with her.

It also turns out that the rich man has a daughter whom he has not seen or spoken to for many years. The mechanic adds to the bucket list: to get together again, referring to this painful separation.

It may sound like this was a very sad movie but it was not. There were obviously moments of humour in the movie provided by Jack Nicholson. Oh, they both die at the end. But, it was not a sad ending because the mechanic returned to his family and his wife and they both realized that they loved each other very much. And the rich man eventually was united with his daughter. Thus they both fulfilled one of the profound items on their bucket list: to help a complete stranger for the good. Each helped the other to return with love and reconciliation to a wife and to a daughter. And to see that happen was to witness something majestic. And that made it a very happy ending.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the crowds from the Mount of the Beatitudes. Blessed are they, Happy are they. Some of these beatitudes might not make our bucket list. We don’t usually find happiness in being poor or in mourning for someone whom we have lost. But some of these beatitudes would be worthy of any one of our bucket lists: to be a peacemaker, to work for justice in the world. And it doesn’t seem improper to even add a couple of new beatitudes to the ones which Jesus gave us. Blessed are those who help a complete stranger for the good. Blessed are those who witness something majestic.