Death Wish

Dealing with death in order to enjoy a better spiritual life  

Philippians 1:18B-26  

          Brothers and sisters: My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your boasting in Christ Jesus  may abound on account of me when I come to you again.   

          Do you think much about death? And in particular, do you think much about your own death? Now, some people absolutely shun this subject, like my mom. She immediately changes the subject whenever the topic of death comes up. That’s why my mom can never be a Knight of Columbus. Why? Well, their motto is “Tempus fugit, memento mori,” which is Latin and means, “Time flies, remember death.” But with all due respect to my mom, I think it’s a very healthy spiritual practice to keep death on your radar, to reflect on it, to prepare for it, and actually to make the reality of death a part of your daily life.

          I’ll never forget that great opening scene from the movie, “Star Trek: the Wrath of Khan.” A novice captain must face a no-win scenario, where she tries to save a crew on a disabled spaceship. But instead, they encounter enemy Klingons, who attack and destroy the captain’s starship. The novice complains to Captain Kirk that the no-win scenario was not a fair test of her command abilities. Kirk wisely answers: “A no-win situation is a possibility every commander may face. How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, don’t you think?” The novice coldly answers, “That thought had not occurred to me,” and Kirk quickly adds: “Well, now you have something new to think about.”  In other words, it can be very productive to think about death as much as we think about life.  

 

          In the first reading today, St. Paul is not shy about speculating on death; indeed, he almost wishes for it. Listen to what he writes to the Philippians: “For to me life is Christ and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Now, I don’t think St. Paul was a Knight of Columbus either, but he certainly knew that time flies and therefore he remembered death daily; as a matter of fact, he actually wished time would fly a little faster! St. Paul, like Captain Kirk, thought about death as much as he thought about life. You see, death was always on St. Paul’s radar, it suffused his spiritual life, and it gave meaning and purpose to his love and labors as an apostle.   

          May I ask you for a moment longer to “memento mori,” to remember death? I have a dear friend who is elderly and suffers from a host of physical ailments. Like St. Paul, she wishes “to depart this life and be with Christ,” but she stays here and continues her “fruitful labor” of carrying her cross with love. Sometimes I visit patients dying in the hospital and the family agonizes over how much longer they must fight to keep their loved one alive. I suggest they should not play “tug-of-war with God.” That is, if it’s clear God is calling them home, maybe it’s time to say good-bye. How long do we put off writing our own “Last Will and Testament” and making funeral arrangements (and don’t forget the church in your estate planning, please). We priests have to do that immediately after we’re ordained, and it’s a very sobering business. But all these moments put death back on our radar, it becomes part of our everyday world, and in a surprising twist, the thought of death actually helps us to live a better life.   

          John Donne wrote a poem about death that’s very apropos and strikes a similar chord, called “Death be not proud.” Here are a few lines: “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee / Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; / For whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow / Die not, poor Death, nor canst thou kill me.”  Here’s the end of the poem: “One short sleep past, we wake eternally / and death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.” And by the way, until death dies, keep him on your radar.   

          Praised be Jesus Christ!