Death. It’s not a subject we particularly enjoy discussing. I imagine that for most of us, upon hearing the word ‘death,’ thoughts would flow about what might happen to us when we die. We might think of a loved one who has already passed on and wonder what happened to them. We might associate death with pain, grief, and sadness. Death, to many, is the end. It’s like when the curtains are pulled back in and darkness floods in from every side. The light is extinguished. There is no encore.

There have been many different ideas stemming from various cultures and religious beliefs regarding what happens when we die. Some believe that when we die we are reincarnated, be it as a plant, animal, or even another human being. Some believe that the so-called ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ is the light emitting from the hospital room where we are being born as a different human being, and that the reason we cry when we are born is because we have just died in our old life. Others believe that we are just trying to get out of a never-ending cycle of life and death.

But, while some may think that when we die the screen fades to black and that’s that, this is not what death is.

Death is so much more than just an ending. It’s a new beginning. It is something we all inevitably must face, but it does not have to be something we face with fear.

I think it is almost a natural human instinct to fear death, especially in the age we are currently living in. We live in a world where everyone wants to be their own god, where God is viewed as nothing more than a mythological figure, a fairy tale that people believe to make themselves feel better. It actually makes a lot of sense that fear has taken such a hold in a Godless society, a fallen world that is obsessed with sinful things and pleasures that will not reach beyond the earthly plane.

Now that does not mean that it is a bad thing to be fearful of death. It is perfectly normal to worry about what is going to happen after you die. In fact, I think much of the time we start to focus on how our families will fare. Will they be ok without us? Will we have done everything we can for them? We wonder how others will be impacted by our death.

While this is all understandable, our focus should be on something else: life.

What a paradox, right?

It is pretty astounding how much we can get caught up worrying about death that we actually forget to live.

If we are contemplating death, we should consider the life we want to have lived before we inevitably depart this world. Have we lived a life of service to others? Have we done our utmost best to shine a light in a world that is clouded by darkness. Are we holding onto any grudges, or anything for that matter, that we need to let go of before leaving our earthly lives behind? Have we, truly, lived a good life?

And, particularly for Christians, have we lived a life worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven?

They’re hard-pressing questions. That is the way they are supposed to be. They are supposed to really force you to reflect deeply and consider whether there are any changes you need to make to your life, no matter how small, so that you can say at the end of this earthly pilgrimage that you lived the best life you possibly could.

In order to live a good life, we need to die unto ourselves.

I think that, in a world where we have become so attached to things, we have also become attached to parts of ourselves that are weighing us down, parts of ourselves that are eating away at us and causing us, or those near to us, great hurt or discomfort. When we do this, those parts of us hang over us like dark storm clouds. They blot out the light of our hearts, minds, and souls, darkening them and turning us away from what enlightens them. Not only do such attachments make it difficult for us to live a good life, they make it difficult for us to live at all.

To be able to live the good life in the hope of attaining eternal life face-to-face with our Creator in the Kingdom, we must detach ourselves from these parts of our being and allow them to die. This is never going to be all that easy to accomplish. It can take hard work and persistence to finally achieve the desired result. These parts of us can become so ingrained in our being that allowing them to die is akin to chopping off a hand.

For many, death to self is not likely to be an overnight phenomenon. It is more probable that it will be a process that may take a little longer to complete. In fact, it might just take a few attempts to finally detach yourself and allow the part of your being that is holding you back to die off. But it will undoubtedly be worth it.

Why?

Because with death comes new life.

It is a theme we see recurring throughout the books of the Bible. John, in his Gospel, writes of an occasion on which Jesus’ presence is requested by some Greeks. When Andrew and Philip tell this to Jesus, he speaks of the grain of wheat:

‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.’ (John 12:24)

St Paul in his letter to the Ephesians writes:

‘You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.’ (Eph 4:22-24)

Of course, the greatest example of the new life that comes with death is the great sacrifice of Christ. Jesus appeared to have died, but on the third day he rose to new life, granting us the opportunity to do the same.

When we die to ourselves and cut off those parts of our being that are not allowing us to live a truly good life, other good parts of our inmost selves can begin to flourish. It is like we are removing the weeds from the gardens of our souls so that the flowers that were being choked can now grow and bloom, creating a beautiful array of virtue.

Death actually plays such an important role in our lives. Not only does it help us to understand life, it helps us to attain it. When a loved one dies, we mourn their loss. But in mourning we also often remember the life they lived, particularly the good memories we shared with them, the good that they did in their lives to enhance our own. When we allow a part of ourselves to die, we may also mourn it, especially if we were greatly attached to it. But we are consoled by the new life that flows within us.

You may remember that I recently mentioned the Venerable Bruno Lanteri, a priest who had a motto for living his life well: Nunc Coepi – ‘Today, I Begin.’ Each and every day we must die to ourselves and begin again anew.

For death is not the end. It is merely the end of the beginning.