A JOYFUL DEATH

Before the birth of Christ, death was an awful prospect feared by all.  It is still so for most people.  But with the death of Christ, death has become a glorious experience in that from the death of Christ came eternal life for us all.

Such is the death of a saint.  So much good comes from it that death becomes glorious, that the Apostle Paul exclaimed, "Death where is your sting?" What made people fear death was gone forever.

Though this is not the case for all.  When a soul obedient to God dies, his death is so edifying that the beholders are encouraged to be obedient to God, too.  When a humble person dies, his death is so uplifting that others are encouraged to be humble as he is.   

So, the death of a person close to God, like the death of Christ, becomes a source of holiness and eternal salvation for others. 

But the death of a sinner is unedifying to those around.  When a sinner dies, the people around are filled with fear at the thought of death.  And the fear of death puts a soul more in the clutches of the evil one.  The saints said to put death ever before one's mind but did not say that we should fear death.

St. Thomas of Aquinas

(08-21-10)