MAY DEATH NOT TAKE US BY SURPRISE…
We should not put off reflecting on the LAST THINGS until the last, or if you like, until it is too late! What then are the Last Things? The technical theological word is that of ESCHATOLOGY—the theology of the Last Things. Categorically, they can be listed as the following: death, judgment (particular and general), Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. All of these sober, serious truths are enveloped in the concept of Eternity—that means, forever and ever and ever, no end!!!
The saints, most especially Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Faustina Kowalska, and Saint Ignatius of Loyola insist on the paramount importance of meditating upon these eternal truths as a powerful means of arriving at conversion of life and aiming and striving for the eternal salvation of our immortal souls.
DEATH. So let’s start with the reality of death and how we can derive abundant spiritual fruit on the reality of death. How ironic the fact that on an everyday basis death comes at us on the news, radio, internet, locally, nationally and internationally. However, how easy it is for us to sidestep and avoid meditating upon the stark reality of death. The following are a few ideas to motivate us to be prepared for the reality of our own death which will come sooner or later whether we like it, dislike it, or enter into denial of its reality. Let’s start with the basics.
1. DEFINE IT. A short, pithy definition of death is simply the following: “Death is the separation of the soul from the body.” In concrete, when the soul actually leaves and departs from the body, then theologically we can call the person dead. As to the exact moment that the soul leaves the body, only God knows the precise moment.
2. REINCARNATION. As followers of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we cannot accept the posture or the assertion of REINCARNATION. (Aristotle called it the transmigration of souls.) Reincarnation postulates that death is not the last word, but rather the soul returns and is reincarnated in another being in the next life—insect, animal or another human being. The Christian belief denies this; rather, we have one life, death, and then judgment.
3. REASON FOR REALITY OF DEATH? Sin! As a result of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and the commission of Original Sin—death entered into the world of plant, animal and human existence. In a very real sense, death is the wages of sin, in the words of St. Paul.
4. FROM DEATH TO LIFE. Saint Augustine encourages us with this brilliant theological concept: God allows evil to happen so He can bring greater good from that evil. No doubt the sin of Adam and Eve, the Original Sin, wreaked and continues to wreak havoc in the world. I would like to present it as a moral tsunami, almost like an atomic bomb, that has repercussions in the world until the very end of time. Or if you like, hurling a huge stone into a small lake and the concentric circles reverberating and spreading out from shore to shore. So it is with Original Sin, it wreaked havoc and brought suffering and death to all of the cosmos—then, now and until the end of time. However, as a consequence of Original Sin, God sent His only Son, Jesus the Lord to save us. Jesus died and rose so that after we die physically, if we die in the state of grace, we can live forever with the Lord in Heaven. We move from physical death to eternal life with the Lord.
5. PASCHAL MYSTERY: PASSION, DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS. The Paschal mystery of Jesus the Lord gives meaning to our life, suffering and death. If we are inserted in the Life of Jesus, as the branches are united to the vine (John 15), our physical death results in our insertion in the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Our death blossoms into eternal life—life in the Risen Lord Jesus.
6. DYING DAILY. Saint Paul encourages us to die to the flesh so as to live in the spirit; this is a daily battle. With the help of God’s grace we are called to die on a daily basis to our greed, lust, gluttony, laziness, anger, envy, egotism, impatience, and of course, pride. In dying daily to our sinful tendencies, we experience already in this life the freedom of the sons and daughters of God, freedom in the spirit.
7. MORTAL SIN: DEATH OF THE SOUL. When we decide to commit a mortal sin, we experience a true death of the soul. There are three conditions for a mortal sin: 1) grave matter, 2) full knowledge, and 3) full consent of the will. An action committed with these three conditions results in a mortal sin and the death of the soul in that moment. But the Good News is that there is hope….
8. SACRAMENTAL DYING AND RISING. The great Saint Augustine, who struggled into his early 30’s to conquer his slavery to the sin of lust, once converted became a great saint. He wrote about another and powerful way of dying and rising from the dead; he actually called it a LAZARUS EXPERIENCE. How? Through preparing for, and receiving with a good disposition, the Sacrament of Confession. How true! In Confession we leave behind the scales, the dirt, and the putrid presence of spiritual death that we call sin, and we break forth from the confessional alive with new life—like Lazarus. He was a man dead and buried for four days when Jesus called him back to life. He passed from death to life. So it is with a good confession; we pass from spiritual death to the life of grace, to life in the realm of the spirit.
9. JESUS’ TEACHING ON THE REALITY OF DEATH. With great constancy and insistence, Jesus teaches us that we must be ready with our lamps lighted. We must not be caught with the oil in our lamps depleted. Time and time again Jesus says that we must be vigilant, alert, eyes wide open and prepared for His coming. One of the most obvious interpretations of this clarion call for vigilance is the idea of the thief coming in the night. Common sense tells us that the thief will seek the time, the place, and the opportunity to break into the house to steal when the coast is clear and nobody is home. We must be prepared for the day, the hour, and the moment when Jesus will knock at the door of our heart and call us from this life to the next, to be judged on all that we have done or failed to do.
10. MATTHEW 25. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Matthew chapter 25 can serve as a most efficacious meditation so that we are not taken off guard for the specific day, hour and minute that the Lord Jesus will call us from this life to the next. Read and meditate on the three Parable’s that can prepare us for our death and eventual Judgment:
1) The Parable of the wise and foolish virgins awaiting the coming of the groom. May our lamps be filled and our torches shining bright. (Mt 25: 1-13) Meaning, may our souls be full of sanctifying grace through frequent confession and Holy Communion.
2) The Parable of the Talents. (Mt 25: 14-28) May we invest our talents and when the Master returns from his journey be ready to give him our hard work with interest and gain. Meaning, may we use our talents and abilities for the honor and glory of God.
3) The Parable of the Last Judgment. (Mt 25: 31-46) The goats and the sheep. May we be among the sheep on the right of the Good Shepherd ready to enter into the house of the Master. “Well done faithful servant: you gave me to eat, to drink, clothes, a warm welcome, and attention when I was sick and in prison.”
The following are a few ideas to help us reflect seriously on the reality of death. The great poet John Donne coined it in these few but poignant words: “The bell will toll. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” The tolling of the bell is the moment that God will knock at the door of our hearts and ask to enter, the very moment of our death. May Our Lady grant us a proper preparation for that most important moment of our earthly existence. In a future essay we will give concrete steps to take so as to be prepared for our own departure from this life to the next.
