Introduction
Right before Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb; we find one of the more powerful and perplexing statements in the Holy Scriptures: “And Jesus wept.” (Jn 11:35)
One insightful interpretation of this text says that Jesus is sharing the pain and loss of Mary and Martha and, by extension, all of humanity in the suffering and grief that death’s reign brings to all. Jesus’ tears flow from his consciousness of death as the ultimate expression of sin that penetrates all human reality. This sense of loss and heartache accompanies all human experience of death.
The other side of this dark evil of death is the final victory of the Resurrection. In the famous chapter fifteen in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle challenges those denying the resurrection of the body. He says, “If for this life only we have hope in Christ, we are the most pitiable of people.” (I Cor15:19)
Paul goes on to proclaim the overwhelming power and beauty of the resurrection for all: “This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. … For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality. … ’Death is swallowed up in victory. Where O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (I Cor 15:50-55)
Any mature understanding of the Church’s teaching on death must include these two gospel visions of death: loss and victory. I am going to offer five brief reflections on the mystery of death from different vantage points in the Christian tradition. Hopefully, they will let us see a bit more clearly that death is truly part of life. The topics are: the doctrine of the Church, a personal reflection, a lesson on death from the liturgy, Teresa of Avila’s perspective, and some thoughts on the aging process.
Death Is Part of Life
Preface
Over the decades, I have celebrated hundreds of masses of the Resurrection for Christian burial. Most often, I observed a great distinction in the congregation. I came to understand that it was about time. In the front pews, the family and loved ones of the deceased were caught in the great mystery of death. Their sense of loss was so profound that time was truly inconsequential. The closer the relationship, the longer this sense of timelessness would last. Further back in the pews, the fact of death was much less noteworthy. The social obligation was much more important, even though inconvenient, as they peeked at their watches to see how soon they could get on with their lives. Their concern for death was buried in the deep recesses of their hearts and minds.
Death’s mystery far transcends these different experiences of the loved ones and visitors at a funeral mass. I would like to share some thoughts on death apart from both the consuming power of mourning and the more common, even superficial, experience of death. This latter mindset tends to stress the morbid and depressing element of death. It is caught up in a protective attitude of denial that is intensely reinforced by our culture.
Death is the time when the ultimate decision is finalized: self or God, heaven or hell. From the moment of conception, we have been moving toward this destiny. This call to become one with God has been the most authentic measure of everything in our life, whether we were aware of it or not. Catholic theology sees death as a great moment of freedom. The lifelong struggle has been between the false self who sees reality centered on oneself and the true self which sees God as the center of everything. At death the time of “maybe” or “perhaps” is gone.
The Christian life in the footsteps of Jesus is a transformation and purification. It is a make-over in the image of the Risen Christ. Jesus is the way, the life and the truth to guide us in our decision for God. This path leads us to the supreme goal, union with God. Death is the final step of this absorption into God. The gospel way seeks to release us from all that has kept us from truly knowing God and truly knowing ourselves.
During our lifetime we were burdened with distractions and distortions of every kind. Attachments, addictions, and the relentless pull of sin had created an often-blinding fog that had hidden God from our mind and heart. In death, the veils of obscurity fall by the wayside. Now is the moment of absolute light. To achieve this clarity, even after death, we likely will need to be purified. This is purgatory. If we have not chosen God, the result is equally clear.
As we become one with God in death, we become our truest selves. The ever-present hunger in our heart has been an indispensable part of our human condition, but now it is satisfied. We discover our true home in God. That is why we often call death a homecoming. We are now immersed in the happiness that is truly forever and the life that truly is everlasting.
