If you happen to be familiar with the book (and now TV) series "A Series of Unfortunate Events" you may remember that at one point in their unfortunate young lives, the three Baudelaire siblings were sent to a boarding school which, complementary to its headstone-shaped buildings, also had an equally morbid and daunting motto. This motto was 'Memento Mori' a Latin phrase that means: Remember you will die... (Lovely motto for a school, wouldn't you agree?)
'Memento Mori' is a phrase that traces its origins all the way back to antiquity and remains just as relevant and poignant today as it was for the great philosophers, theologians and poets of old. In the Bible, a similar phrase can be found in the Book of Sirach (also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus) which goes as follows:
"In all thy works remember thy last end and thou shalt never sin" (Sirach 7:40, Douay-Rheims Translation)
Some of the great figures of Church history lived by this phrase (some more successfully than others) and made use of an array of ornaments and symbols to remind them of their mortality and unavoidable fate. Of all these symbols, perhaps the human skull (eerily placed on the corner of the desk of many saints) is the most definitive symbol of this uncomfortable truth. William Shakespeare immortalised the fate of the mortal being in one of the most memorable and iconic scenes from what is often regarded as his greatest play.
"Alas poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio..." the grief-stricken Hamlet exclaims to his friend as he holds Yorick's skull in his hands after it is unceremoniously uncovered by a pair of flippant gravediggers. Yorick was the king's jester and had been a source of joy for Prince Hamlet in his childhood, carrying him around on his back and making him laugh. But what is left of him now? Nothing but a lifeless and decaying skull. A skull that would not even have been uncovered if the gravediggers had not been digging Ophelia's grave at that moment. Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest and prospective wife who in a state of inconsolable madness took her own life. Now she too, regardless of her youth and beauty, will go the way of Yorick and return to the earth from which her forefathers were taken... "For dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return..." (Genesis 3:19).
Hamlet mourns not only the deaths of those close to him, but also despairs over the futility of life and human existence. Even the world's strongest and greatest of children such as Alexander the Great and Caesar Augustus have returned to dust and also gone the way of death and decay as we all must sooner or later.
From the perspective of cynics and nihilists, death is the final end; life itself is meaningless as we all die anyway; and all is hopeless and futile. Too morbid and pessimistic for the rest of us, right? But before we dismiss these views without second thought, let us recall that these very thoughts form the premise in the Book of Ecclesiastes (not to be confused with Ecclesiasticus). "Vanity of vanities and all is vanity!" (Eccl 1:2) exclaims the inspired writer, traditionally identified as none other than wise king Solomon himself. The Hebrew word here translated as "vanity" is 'hevel' which literally means a puff of wind or a breath of air, denoting something fleeting and temporary. Some translations use the word "meaningless" to denote the writer's true intention for the use of the word (although arguably "vanity of vanities" sounds a lot more poetical in English).
Dealing with the exact same dilemma as Shakespeare's Hamlet almost 3000 years later, the inspired writer of Ecclesiastes reaches a more positive conclusion than that of the cynical and despairing Danish prince. He concludes that the answer to life's vanities is to "fear (i.e. love) God and keep His commandments" (Eccl 12:13). If we can learn to do this, life will never cease to lose its meaning.
Non-believers will be sure to roll their eyes at such a bland and typically theistic response to one of humanity's most complex and enduring of questions. But critics and cynics aside, why should we as Christians take heart in this? After all, death is the final and ultimate end is it not?
Nope! Quite the opposite in fact. Death is an end, yes. It marks the end of earthly life and is characterised by the separation of the soul from the body (which is then referred to as the "remains"). But is not the end. Not the final end. While the earthly life has reached its limit, the immortal soul lives on and ultimately, for us as human beings, that is what really matters. What becomes of the soul after it leaves the body?
On New Years' Day, I attended a funeral. The deceased, who died in a car crash, was the brother of a dear friend. He was only in his 30s. It was certainly not how any of us wanted to welcome and be welcomed by the New Year. And yet, in a strange and inexplicable way, for me personally, going to that funeral was the best possible way I could have spent that day. Not only to pay my respects to the family (a gesture that should never be underestimated) but also to return to the absolute basics of the Christian faith and contemplate on the great mystery of death - memento mori - and the even greater mystery of the Resurrection - Christus Vincit!
Before the Requiem Mass commenced, I spotted a butterfly fluttering around inside the church. And I thought to myself, what a peculiar time to see a butterfly! What could this mean? And then it struck me: the butterfly starts off as a caterpillar, undergoes a death of sorts and then leaves its cocoon as what looks like an entirely new creation. But even though it looks so different after the transition, it is still the same unique individual creature that went into the cocoon in the first place.
And so it is with death. The soul leaves the body and while the body decays, the soul lives on. And what is more, at the end of time, that soul will be reunited with its former body - reassembled from the dust into which it had disintegrated and live forever in that state. Either with God or separated from Him. That is our prerogative (and a topic for another day).
In a profound scene from the Old Testament, God takes the prophet Ezekiel to a valley filled with dry bones. God asks the prophet: "Son of man, dost thou think these bones shall live?" and Ezekiel responds: "O Lord God, Thou knowest." (Ezek 37:3). God then tells His faithful servant to prophesy to the bones and lo and behold, the bones are reassembled, their organs, flesh and skin return and their souls are re-infused into them. The Lord Our God is the author of life and can restore the life of the deceased. He has demonstrated this not only to Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones but also through the prophet Elisha - the dead prophet Elisha. Yes, dead! When a group of people threw a dead man into Elisha's grave, the dead man, upon touching Elisha's bones, came back to life and he stood up again (2 Kings 13:21).
Jesus Christ, the Word Incarnate and Second Person of Blessed Trinity, raised several people back to life. These included (but are surely not limited to) Lazarus (John 11:1-44), Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:35-43) and the widow's son at Naim (Luke 7:11-16). Furthermore, at the death of Christ, the graves in Jerusalem were opened and many bodies of the saints arose and showed themselves to the people (Matthew 27:52-53).
And even greater still, O miracle of miracles! Christ Himself rose from the dead, three days after his sorrowful Passion, Crucifixion and Death. And as St Paul proclaims: "If Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (1 Cor 15:14).
Not only did Christ rise from the dead (The Resurrection) but so will we! We refer to this as the Resurrection of the Body and as practicing Catholics we profess our belief in this tenet and article of our Faith every time we recite the Apostles Creed.
Now, this is all well and good. But why do some people live longer than others? And why does it always seem to be those who least deserve it who are taken away at a young age? Regardless of what we believe about life after death, isn't that still very unfair?
These are questions I am sure many if not most (perhaps all?) of us have asked ourselves and of God at one stage or another. And as is the case with all the "big questions" in life (and about death), the answers are all clearly stated in the Sacred Scriptures.
Let us briefly take a glance at the fourth chapter of the Book of Wisdom (also traditionally attributed to Solomon) and see what the Lord has to say about life and death in general and more particularly about the death of the young.
O how beautiful is the chaste generation with glory: for the memory thereof is immortal: because it is known both with God and with men.
When it is present they imitate it: and they desire it when it hath withdrawn itself, and it triumpheth crowned forever, winning the reward of undefiled conflicts.
But the multiplied brood of the wicked shall not thrive, and bastard slips shall not take deep root, nor any fast foundation.
And if they flourish in branches for a time, yet standing not fast, they shall be shaken with the wind, and through the force of winds they shall be rooted out.
For the branches not being perfect, shall be broken, and their fruits shall be unprofitable, and sour to eat, and fit for nothing.
For the children that are born of unlawful beds, are witnesses of wickedness against their parents in their trial.
(Wisdom 4:1-6)
In these first verses the virtue of chastity is praised. Many Church Fathers and Scripture scholars also point out the fact that purity of faith, which can also be regarded as a form of chastity (i.e. in the sense of faith in God alone), pleases God even more as it is the foundation of all virtues. The wicked, though they seem to have the upper hand at present, will not thrive in the long term and they will not forgo their just rewards at the Final Judgment.
But the just man, if he be prevented with death, shall be in rest.
For venerable old age is not that of long time, nor counted by the number of years: but the understanding of a man is grey hairs.
And a spotless life is old age.
He pleased God and was beloved, and living among sinners he was translated.
He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul.
For the bewitching of vanity obscureth good things, and the wandering of concupiscence overturneth the innocent mind.
Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled a long time:
For his soul pleased God, and His mercy is with His saints, and that He had respect to his chosen.
(Wisdom 4:7-15)
This beautiful passage was the first reading at the Requiem Mass I attended on New Years Day. As my friend read out these profound words of wisdom from the Book of Wisdom, I could hear in her voice that she saw and prayed for her deceased brother through this passage. And indeed, what a consoling message it conveys: "He pleased God and was beloved... He was taken away lest wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul..."
These are not the kind of things people want to hear nowadays. But this is and always has been the Christian position, peculiar and incomprehensible as it is to post-modern sensitivities - that it is better to die young and dwell in the safety of God's presence than to live long and be found wanting at the particular and final judgments. This is a great mystery and will take us a lifetime (long or short) to ever fully appreciate.
But the just that is dead, condemneth the wicked that are living, and youth soon ended, the long life of the unjust.
For they shall see the end of the wise man, and shall not understand what God hath designed for him, and why the Lord hath sent him in safety.
They shall see Him, and shall despise Him: but the Lord shall laugh them to scorn.
And they shall fall after this without honour, and be a reproach among the dead forever: for He shall burst them puffed up and speechless, and shall shake them from the foundations, and they shall be utterly laid waste: they shall be in sorrow, and their memory shall perish.
They shall come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their iniquities shall stand against them to convict them.
(Wisdom 4:16-20)
As stated in these last verses, those who were left behind will not understand why God allowed such a young person to pass away. God knows the answer, and the just who now dwell in His presence do as well. And Heaven knows that they are all better off for it and would have it no other way. The words of St Therese of Lisieux, another righteous soul who died at the incredibly young age of 24, come to mind: "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth..." Do not despise the Lord for giving her and all the souls of the deceased this incredible and invaluable opportunity.
And so, in conclusion, let us try to make the most out of this New Year that has just dawned. Let us cherish life and appreciate every moment of it that God has gifted to us. And let us thank Him for the friends and family He has blessed us with. The separation of the soul from the body is not the end, but a beginning. Take the Hand of Christ and let Him lead you. He is the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in Him, although he be dead, shall live (John 11:25). With this profound truth engraved in our hearts and minds, death loses its sting and is not the victor. Christ is. He is risen from the dead and so too will He raise us on the last day. May God bless you and your families in this New Year.
Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat!
