Is death a blessing, a passage to a better existence? Or is it an enemy? Is death to be welcomed or avoided? Could it ever be both? Would advocating both be contradictory? These are tough questions.
In nature, we witness two concurrent realities: 1) It is normal to want to avoid death. 2) Death is part of the inherent order of created material things. How do we square these away with each other?
We start, as we always should, with our faith. Our shared human experiences (such as life, death, and everything in between) nag at us to be understood. In our search for answers, Jesus presents us with Himself: the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Truth helps us make sense of what we experience.
We find ourselves in the context of a story. In Scripture, we see God offer unending life to Adam and Eve. They lost this gift by sinning. Pain and death entered the world. God bestowed death upon the human race, not only as a punishment for wrongdoing, but as a gift to men and women, all of whom now suffered from physical aches and spiritual ills. A perpetual life filled with afflictions, hardships, and the guarantee of sin would be nothing like the bliss our first parents previously enjoyed. Our mortality is an extension of God’s marvelous mercy, a prime example of turning what was bad (Adam and Eve’s sin) into something good.
Life is one of God’s greatest blessings. In our earthly existence, it is natural to see death as a necessary evil. But death for those who love God and try to live rightly means entrance into eternal life, into a heavenly paradise far more beautiful than the earthly one that came before. Eternal life is an even greater blessing than this ordinary life! Thus, life and death are both gifts.
This belief, however, doesn’t uphold or warrant the destruction of a life. Acts of abortion, throwing away embryos, euthanasia, and so-called “Medical Aid in Dying” (more appropriately called “physician-assisted suicide”) deliberately annihilate a unique human person loved by God.
Amid a culture that favors sweeping generalizations, Catholics make distinctions. The equation is not as simple as Death = good or Death = bad. When Cain slaughtered Abel, was it good? God knew it was not and made that clear to Cain. One person’s direct act of taking another’s life or one’s own is not good.
Death is supposed to be met the way Jesus models for us — heroically. Like our Lord, we should accept whatever the future holds. We don’t need control or autonomy, as some who consider assisted suicide might believe. We require acceptance and, in humility, we will benefit from accompaniment. These words of Pope Leo XIV were shared in an issue of The Observer last month: “Life is ‘fulfilled’ not when we are strong, but when we learn how to receive.” What burdens (and what adventures) is God giving me? Will I receive them gratefully?
The gift of death by which we pass from here to heaven is not so frightening when we are close to Christ and have prepared our hearts to be with Him.
Memento mori. It’s an old Latin phrase that invites us to remember our mortality. This October and November, there will be many mementos mori in focus: plastic skeletons, mock tombstones, ornately-decorated skulls, and prayers for deceased loved ones. It’s a good time to ponder death healthily. At the center of this thought, let’s remember God became man for us, conquered the grave, and helps us carry our sufferings. Then we too can exclaim, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55).
