The Art of Dying Well: Facing Death, Judgement, Heaven or Hell.

Each day we live is a preparation for the day we die. We will die well if we live in a manner that prepares us for Heaven. We either prepare to die well or we’re headed for Hell. The choice is ours.

This post is written for Catholic Unscripted by Fr Sean Sheehy

We’re headed into winter. The leaves on most of the trees have donned their autumnal colours only to slowly lose their grip on the branches, fall to the earth, and die. Winter is nature’s reminder of the reality of death. In the poem, Robin Redbreast, the Irish poet, William Allingham, noted;

“The leathery pears and apples/Hang russet on the bough, /It’s Autumn, Autumn, Autumn late/ Twill soon be winter now.”

Winter brings the year’s seasons to an end, but each one of us has our spring, summer, autumn, and winter. I am in the winter of my life now and face the four last things every human being faces, namely Death, Judgment, Heaven or Hell. Everything has a beginning, middle and an end. We’re born. We mature. We grow weak. We die. What’s the meaning of it all?

The Catholic dedicates the month of November to focusing on the reality of death and what happens afterward. She honours the saints, the men and women who lived holy lives and are now in their Heavenly Father’s arms. She prays especially for the dead during this month. Prompted by God’s revelation in 2^nd Maccabees she reminds us that while death is the end of life on earth, it isn’t the end of life;

“For if he had not expected the fallen to rise again it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead” (2 Macc 12:44).

The pilgrim Church here on earth intercedes for the suffering Church in Purgatory and the Church in Heaven intercedes for all of us. Thus all God’s children, living and dead, suffering and glorious, help one another as one family, one community united in Christ. And even after death God expresses His mercy and justice in the Church’s doctrine of Purgatory. She teaches that;

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (CCC #1030-1031).

What is the Church telling us? Guided by the Holy Spirit she tells us that all who die with their souls still stained by unrepented and self-centered habits or haven’t made full restitution for the damage caused by their sins, but still embraced Jesus as their Saviour when they died, must be fully cleansed in order to enter Heaven. Sin cannot exist in Heaven. She is also telling us that the faithful on earth can intercede for the souls undergoing purgation through their prayers and sacrifices on their behalf.

While the word Purgatory isn’t specifically mentioned in the Bible (just as Trinity isn’t) there is biblical support for this teaching. Jesus revealed that the sin against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven “either in this world or in the next” (Mt 12:32). This implies that purification from venial sin, that which isn’t mortal, can take place after death. Jesus also speaks about sinners being kept in prison “until they have paid the last penny” (Mt 5:26; Lk 12:59). This refers to a period of time between earthly life and Heaven. St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, speaks about being passively purified after death when he noted that;

The work of each will be made clear. The Day (Judgment) will disclose it. That day will make its appearance with fire, and fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If the building a man has raised on this foundation still stands, he will receive his recompense; if a man’s building burns, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as one fleeing through fire” (1 Cor 3:13-15).

The Church has made no definitive statements about what exactly happens, or where, or exactly how long it takes. The suffering in Purgatory is mainly that of self-recrimination that evokes a sense of shame, regret, and guilt at having rejected God’s love and mercy, which is offered so many times here on earth but refused due to egotism and the desire to do wrong because it felt good. This is made more acute because the individual can now see how God wanted to love him or her but was denied and is even now the beneficiary of God’s loving mercy and justice in Purgatory. She assures us that a purification after death exists, that it involves some kind of suffering, and that the pain can be alleviated by the prayers and offerings the living make to God on behalf of the souls in Purgatory. Each of us must begin our purification while here on earth through prayer, sacrifices, indulgences, participation in the Sacraments, especially the Holy Mass, and carrying out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, so that we can avoid Purgatory and enter Heaven straight away.

Stephen Covey in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” pointed out that a key habit of successful people is working “with the end in sight.” The end is the vision that motivates the mission and keeps it on track. The end gives us our purpose by which we decide what’s meaningful or meaningless in our life. Without a purpose life is meaningless. To make life meaningful we need to clarify its purpose.

Who determines the purpose of our life? Do we decide what our purpose is or do others decide it for us? Actually, the purpose of a creature is determined by its creator. Therefore, since God is our Creator, He gives us our true purpose. God’s purpose for us is to know, love and serve Him on earth and afterwards be happy with Him forever in Heaven. To live meaningfully, we must know our true purpose. Knowing our true purpose and living a meaningful life means we must live each day knowing, loving and serving God in everything we do and say. That’s what gives our life ultimate meaning. This is the end we must keep in sight if we are to die well. To die well means to face eternity in union with Jesus Christ.

God didn’t create death “…nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living” (Wis 1:13). Where did death come from? It came from Satan. The Holy Spirit tells us that, “By the envy of the devil (envious of Adam and Eve’s happiness), death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it” (Wis 2:24). Death infected humanity through the sin of Adam and Eve. The Holy Spirit tells us that, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). God revealed, “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone…” (Ez 18:32), “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live ...” (Ez 33:11). Death was never in God’s plan for mankind. It was the result of man and woman rejecting the Life-giver, that created death with suffering as its companion. God promised to “destroy death forever” (Is 25:7). The Holy Spirit promised that, “The Lord Yahweh will wipe away the tears from every cheek… For we … rejoice that the Lord has saved us” (vs 8-9). Jesus fulfilled that promise through His passion, death and Resurrection.

Jesus is our bridge over the troubled waters of suffering and death. He has made real the hope of the Psalmist,;

“I am sure that I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in Him, hold firm and take heart” (Ps 26:13-14). From our supernatural faith in Jesus comes a “Hope is not deceptive because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us … He died to make us righteous” (Rom 5:5-11).

We must face the fact that this earth is not the land of the living but the land of the dying. Heaven is the land of the living who live happily forever. Every day brings us closer to our death. Every day we live we die a little. Every day lessens our time on earth. Our focus must be on dying well, which means we’re able to rise to a new life of happiness in the arms of our Heavenly Father in the most intimate of relationships. Only Jesus, who died and rose again, can make this possible for us.

Each day we live is a preparation for the day we die. We will die well if we live in a manner that prepares us for Heaven. So we either prepare to die well or else we’re headed for hell. The choice is ours. We make that choice by how we choose to live each day. If we live each day dying to whatever might separate us from God we prepare ourselves to die in His arms. When we die in God’s arms, being the Author of life, He restores us to a full life that’s eternal, joyful, and happy. To aid us in living to die well Jesus bids us

“Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:25-30).

When we let Jesus yoke us to Himself in His Church we’ll die well. With the Church we pray: May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen!

To Whom Do You Listen, the World or Jesus?

The World says: “Follow your heart!”

Jesus says: “Follow me!”

The World says: Believe in yourself!”

Jesus says: Believe in me!”

The World says: “Discover yourself!”

Jesus says: “Deny (sacrifice) yourself!”

The World says: “Be true to yourself!”

Jesus says: “Be true to me!”