«There is a wrong way to look at death. Death concerns us all, it questions us in a profound way, especially when it touches us closely, or when it affects the little ones, the defenseless in a way that seems 'scandalous' to us. I have always been struck by the question: why do children suffer?, why do children die? If it is understood as the end of everything, death scares, terrifies, transforms into a threat that shatters every dream, every perspective, that breaks every relationship and interrupts every path. This happens when we consider our life as a time closed between two poles: birth and death; when we do not believe in a horizon that goes beyond that of the present life; when you live as if God didn't exist.This conception of death is typical of atheist thought, which interprets existence as finding oneself casually in the world and walking towards nothingness. But there is also a practical atheism, which is living only for one's own interests, living only for earthly things. If we allow ourselves to be caught up in this wrong vision of death, we have no choice but to hide death, deny it, or trivialize it, so that it does not scare us."
But the "heart" of man rebels against this false solution, the desire that we all have for the infinite, the nostalgia that we all have for the eternal. So what is the Christian meaning of death? If we look at the most painful moments of our lives, when we have lost a loved one - parents, a brother, a sister, a spouse, a child, a friend - we realize that, even in the drama of the loss, even torn by the separation , the conviction rises from the heart that it cannot all be over, that the good given and received was not useless. There is a powerful instinct within us that tells us that our life does not end with death. And this is true: our life does not end with death! This thirst for life found its real and reliable answer in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection of Jesus not only gives the certainty of life beyond death, but also illuminates the very mystery of the death of each of us. If we live united with Jesus, faithful to Him, we will be able to face even the passage of death with hope and serenity. In fact, the Church prays: "If the certainty of having to die saddens us, the promise of future immortality consoles us." This is a beautiful prayer of the Church! A person tends to die as he or she lived. If my life has been a journey with the Lord, of trust in his immense mercy, I will be prepared to accept the final moment of my earthly existence as the definitive confident abandonment in his welcoming hands, waiting to contemplate face to face the face of him.
This is the most beautiful thing that can happen to us: contemplating that wonderful face of the Lord face to face. But, seeing him as He is: beautiful, full of light, full of love, full of tenderness. We go this far: finding the Lord.
In this horizon we understand Jesus' invitation to always be ready, vigilant, knowing that life in this world is also given to us to prepare for the other life, the one with the heavenly Father. And for this there is a safe way: to prepare well for death, staying close to Jesus: that is security. I prepare for death by being close to Jesus. And how do you stay close to Jesus? With prayer, in the Sacraments and also in the practice of charity. Let us remember that He is present in the weakest and most needy. He himself identified with them, in the famous parable of the final judgement [...].
(Wednesday 27 November 2013)
The catechesis of Pope Francis
