Preacher's Best Friend

Taking time daily to think about death

09/28/2019

Luke 9:43B-45 While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples, "Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men." But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

The last thing most people want to talk about or even think about is death, especially our own death. When was the last time you pondered, in some detail, your own death? If you’re like me and most of humanity, probably never. We love celebrating our birthday until they start telling us we will one day die, so we decide to be 39 for the rest of our lives, or like start shopping at the clothing store called “Forever 21.” Every commercial on TV, b

esides selling a certain product, has the underlying message that you can live forever and never face death. Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquy began with Hamlet asking the million-dollar question: “To be or not to be, that is the question…” And most Americans would answer that by saying: “I think I’ll ignore that question.” The few, rare occasions I have actually talked to someone about death, people usually say: “Well, I hope to die in my sleep and get it over with quickly and painlessly.”

But I would suggest to you that one of the most holy and healthy, one of the most sane and even sober, and even saintly, of things to think about is our own death. Oh, I don’t mean so that we become down and depressed, but rather so we will assess this earthly life in its proper perspective, not lie to ourselves, and look forward to the afterlife. I was talking with Fr. Martin last week about the challenge of preaching at Mass, and said: “Thank God for death! Death really gets people attention. It’s a preacher’s best friend, because without death, people would side-step and scoff at the gospel message.” In other words, nothing makes people more laser focused on eternal life than the harsh reality of death. Just think about the last funeral you went to. How did you feel touching the casket, or kissing the cold forehead of the deceased, or saying a prayer for their peaceful repose? That feeling is sanity and sanctity.

In the gospel today, Jesus is really struggling to convey the truth of his own saving death to his apostles. For the second time in the gospel of Luke, he announces that he will soon suffer death, and how do his closest companions react? We read: “But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.” The apostles at that stage of their formation were like most of us and wished to die in their sleep, quietly and quickly and painlessly. Later, however, after witnessing Jesus’ death and resurrection, and being filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they meditated daily on death, and how their death could glorify God, just like Jesus’ own death did. After the resurrection, the apostles would scoff at commercials telling them they could live forever on earth and they looked forward to their birthday into heaven (their death), not their birthday on earth. The apostles would probably not have shopped for clothes at the store called “Forever 21.”

Today, I want to invite you to do something a little strange, namely, take time every day to think about death. You can think about Jesus’ death as you pray the fifth sorrowful mystery of the rosary, the Crucifixion. Or, you can ponder the death of a loved one by visiting a cemetery or our columbarium. On the way to school Mass every Friday, our school children stop by the columbarium to pray for those interred there. They are thinking about death. But the best thought and the most blessed thought is to turn your mind to your own death. How differently we would live, if our own death was our constant thought! That thought is sanity and sanctity.

I’m sorry this homily was not full of jokes and joviality. There is a time and a place for those as well. But I noticed you were paying very close attention to this homily today. Death is a preacher’s best friend. And in the end, death is a Christian’s best friend, too.

Praised be Jesus Christ!