Virtues in Death

 Death is painful for those who remain after the loss of a loved one. But death is a gift. If we did not die, we would live forever in corruption and brokenness, alienated from God. He used to walk in the garden with Adam and Eve, but after their fall, there was separation. To end that separation and enter upon the way to everlasting live in union with God, we must die, or the separation would be eternal.


There is no other school like that of death. Nothing else teaches us, over and over, the importance of love, forgiveness, relationship with each other, and most importantly, with God Himself. Nothing prepares the soil of the heart as when the plow of death carves its furrows.


Death says "I will not accept your wealth or your goods. Material is useless." So we must learn that money and property must be put in their proper place, far lower in importance than God and our neighbor.


Death says "I can not wait until tomorrow or another day. There is no other time. There is no more time." We must learn that our moments are few and precious. Do we use them on truly important things? Or fritter them away on that which does not profit our soul or serve our neighbor?


Death says "That way are the demons, and this way is to God." We must learn to shun the former and draw near to the latter, for that to which we cling in this life will cling to us in the next.


It is important for us, it is good for us to stand up and look death in the face. To attend the death bed of friends and family, to weep bitterly and be washed with tears of grief, to love and support and empathize with the bereaved, to see it through to the very end, even, as I saw and participated in this weekend, unto the shoveling of dirt upon the grave, the final tuck-in to rest for the departed. All of this, taken into ourselves will be tremendously painful, but I believe it is also immeasurably good for us and for our neighbors through what it teaches us. God works in all things, even death, for the good of those who love him.


Death teaches many lessons and says many things to us to prepare us and impress upon us the importance and imminence of that hour when lessons will be finished. Ultimately, we will stand before God, and what He says will be final: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father," or "Depart from me."


Memento Mori, dear ones. We are going to die.


 π‘‰π‘–𝑣𝑖𝑑 π‘šπ‘–π‘›π‘‘π‘“π‘’π‘™π‘›π‘’π‘ π‘  π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘‘β„Ž π‘’π‘šπ‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘π‘’π‘  π‘šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ π‘£π‘–π‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘’π‘’π‘ . 𝐼𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑑𝑠 π‘”π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘’π‘“; 𝑖𝑑 π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘šπ‘œπ‘‘π‘’π‘  π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ 𝑒π‘₯π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘π‘–π‘ π‘’ π‘œπ‘“ 𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓-π‘π‘œπ‘›π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘™ 𝑖𝑛 π‘Žπ‘™π‘™ π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘”π‘ ; 𝑖𝑑 𝑖𝑠 π‘Ž π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘šπ‘–π‘›π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ β„Žπ‘’π‘™π‘™; 𝑖𝑑 𝑖𝑠 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘šπ‘œπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘¦π‘’π‘Ÿ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘ ; 𝑖𝑑 𝑖𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑠 π‘”π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘ π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘’π‘‘π‘Žπ‘β„Žπ‘šπ‘’π‘›π‘‘ π‘“π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘š π‘šπ‘Žπ‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘Žπ‘™ π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘›π‘”π‘ ; 𝑖𝑑 𝑖𝑠 π‘Ž π‘ π‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿπ‘π‘’ π‘œπ‘“ π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘–π‘£π‘’π‘›π‘’π‘ π‘  π‘Žπ‘›π‘‘ π‘‘π‘–π‘ π‘π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘šπ‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›. π‘‡β„Žπ‘’π‘ π‘’ 𝑖𝑛 π‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘–π‘Ÿ π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘› π‘π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘‘π‘’π‘π‘’ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘‘π‘€π‘œπ‘“π‘œπ‘™π‘‘ π‘“π‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿ π‘œπ‘“ πΊπ‘œπ‘‘. 𝐼𝑛 π‘Žπ‘‘π‘‘π‘–π‘‘π‘–π‘œπ‘›, π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘”π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘œπ‘“ π‘–π‘šπ‘π‘Žπ‘ π‘ π‘–π‘œπ‘›π‘’π‘‘ π‘‘β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘”β„Žπ‘‘π‘  π‘“π‘Ÿπ‘œπ‘š π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘ π‘’π‘šπ‘π‘Ÿπ‘Žπ‘π‘’π‘  π‘šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ πΏπ‘œπ‘Ÿπ‘‘’𝑠 π‘π‘œπ‘šπ‘šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘‘π‘šπ‘’π‘›π‘‘π‘ . π‘‡β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘ β„Ž β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ-𝑏𝑦-β„Žπ‘œπ‘’π‘Ÿ π‘ π‘‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘”π‘”π‘™π‘’ 𝑖𝑛 π‘€β„Žπ‘–π‘β„Ž π‘ π‘œ π‘šπ‘Žπ‘›π‘¦ π‘Žπ‘‘β„Žπ‘™π‘’π‘‘π‘’π‘  π‘œπ‘“ πΆβ„Žπ‘Ÿπ‘–π‘ π‘‘ π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘’π‘›π‘”π‘Žπ‘”π‘’π‘‘ β„Žπ‘Žπ‘  π‘Žπ‘ 

𝑖𝑑𝑠 π‘Žπ‘–π‘š π‘π‘Ÿπ‘’π‘π‘–π‘ π‘’π‘™π‘¦ π‘‘β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘”π‘–π‘›π‘” π‘œπ‘“ π‘‘β„Žπ‘’ β„Žπ‘’π‘Žπ‘Ÿπ‘‘.

-𝑆𝑑. π‘ƒβ„Žπ‘–π‘™π‘œπ‘‘β„Žπ‘’π‘œπ‘  π‘œπ‘“ π‘†π‘–π‘›π‘Žπ‘–


The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night, and peace at the last.

Amen.

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