Death: A Friend and a Promise

Module in LIFE AND BEYOND

 INTRODUCTION
Life is a constant battle, full of struggles, and we always treat death as an
enemy. In fact, death is not an enemy to vanquish, but a friend to deal with. We do
not even want to imagine or entertain the thought of life’s end, especially when we
are enjoying life. Death is not a foe to wrestle with.
For us, Catholics, the considerable attention and effort we give to honor
the dead go beyond the emotional and sentimental or traditional aspects. Our
remembrance of the dead shows our belief in the afterlife. The prayers we offer for
the eternal repose of their souls mean that we believe in the salvation of souls
hereafter.
Let us remember what Christ said, “I Am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live.” (Jn 11:25)
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CONTENT PERFORMANCE LEARNING
STANDARD STANDARD COMPETENCIES

The learner demonstrates an At the end of the discussion, students

The learner should be able to know
understanding of the reward or will be able to explain the
the importance of a holy life as an
punishment after death and we will importance of death as a return to
acceptance of the promises that the
be judged immediately according to God and as a passage to the next life
Church teaches about death.
our action while we are still alive. by relating them to paschal mystery.
 CHRISTIAN MESSAGE

| | |

Doctrine Moral Worship

God is unchanging. His Reflect on the actions that we
Be a living witness to happy
promise from the moment we are doing while living on earth,
and peaceful life, a life that is
were created in the womb of have so much faith and hope
valued in view of death as a
our mother is constant up to the for God is our supreme
passage to God.
time we are buried in our own guardian.
grave.
Learning Output
My Epitaph
 I. What is death?
People describe death in different ways.
Some view it as a cruel and dreadful occurrence that
cuts life off. Others see death as a liberating
experience of accepting life’s unavoidable end. Our
definitions of death depend greatly on our
upbringing and beliefs. We have to come to terms
with death both as an inescapable reality and as an
unfathomable mystery. Death is the door that closes
to us the earthly life and opens to us at the same time
the eternal life.
 I. What is death?

Death is not an enemy to vanquish, but a friend to

deal with. Even if at times we find life miserable and
unfair, still we shun away the thought of dying. Life
is a constant battle. It is full of struggles, and we
always treat death as an enemy. Being the greatest
evil, as St. Paul says, “the last enemy to be destroyed
is death” (1 Cor 15:26). We can destroy death by
befriending it.
 I. What is death?
“We will cross the bridge when we get there.” It is a
universally accepted fact that death is the end of our
earthly journey. However, the mystery that surrounds
death is all about its uncertainty. According to the Italian
adage, I vecchi devono morire; i giovani possono morire –
“Old people should die; young people can die.” It goes to
show that death knows no boundaries. The Bible says that
death comes like a thie in the night (cf. 1 Thes 5:2; Mt
24:43). Death is gatecrasher. The fear of the unknown
envelops our whole being and affects our whole life.
 I. What is death?
Death never ceases to appall us. It always poses
itself as a cruel enemy. This is the description of
death that Martha gave to Jesus when He asked her
where her brother Lazarus is: “Lord, by now there
will be a stench; he has been dead for four days” (Jn
11:39). Martha and Mary wept for the death of their
brother. Jesus saw that the Jews who came with Mary
were weeping. Jesus wept, too. This sorrowful scene
is an ordinary occurrence in any place where death is.
 I. What is death?
Our Catholic faith teaches that death is meaningless
only to those who avoid and deny it at all cost, but truly
matters to those who confront life in the light of Christian
death. The saints understood very well the truth behind the
fact that “death-dealing is really life-giving in the fullest
sense” (Auer-Ratzinger, 1988). When he deals with death
as a friend, our fear of death becomes holy. This holy fear
of death turns into a light that guides us along the way
toward the house of the Father where Jesus reserved
dwelling places for us (cf. Jn 14:2).
 II. The Catholic View of Death

The Church’s abundant teachings on death are anchored on the

paschal mystery of Christ that is, His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. In
the light of the paschal mystery, “the Christian who dies in Christ Jesus is
‘away from the body and at home with the Lord’” (CCC 1681). This
Catholic view of death puts great stress on the belief that our own “dying
with Christ” is what gives our own death its saving worth. “If we have
died with Him we shall also live with Him; if we persevere we shall also
reign with Him” (2 Tm 2:11-12). Our sharing in Christ’s death helps us to
conquer our own death by accepting it as God’s will. “Martyrs have done
so, and their deaths represent the most positive human act, the total
holocaust of love for God that ushers in eternal life” (CFC 2056).
 II. The Catholic View of Death

In death, God calls us to Himself. This

fundamental truth offers us two concrete
views of death which we accept and
teach as part of our Catholic faith.
 II. The Catholic View of Death

First, death means "return." On Ash Wednesday, which marks the

beginning of Lent, we receive ashes in the form of a cross on our
foreheads. Upon imposing the ashes the priest says: "Turn away from sin
and be faithful to the Gospel" or "Remember that you are dust and unto
dust you shall return." The ashes remind us that we belong to Christ as
His disciples, and so we need to turn away from sin. The ashes also
remind us of our mortality. Our life on earth is transient. When we die,
our body and soul return to where they came from. Our body, katawang
lupa as we call it in Tagalog, returns to the soil as its origin (cf. Gn 3:19;
Eccl 12:7). The soul for its part returns to God who gave it (cf. Eccl 12:7).
 II. The Catholic View of Death

Job spoke of death itself as a return. Since he

believed that he was from God, he knew that in death
God would bring him back to the "house destined for
everyone alive" (Jb 30:23). However, the wicked and
all the nations that forget God will depart to Sheol (cf.
Ps 9:18). It is to this that several passages of the Old
Testament point us-death will return us to where we
rightfully belong.
 II. The Catholic View of Death

In the New Testament, the raising of

Lazarus constantly reminds us that God cannot
only bring life from death, but that He makes
our death a return to life and to Him (cf. Jn
11:1-44).
 II. The Catholic View of Death

Second, death means "passage" Death is a transition from this

life to the next. To understand death as a "passing over," we
should see it as part of our incorporation in the paschal mystery.
We have a false view of death if we deny the fact, the truth, and
the mystery of Christ's resurrection. If there is no resurrection,
belief in the afterlife is absurd. If Christ did not rise from the dead,
there is no reason for all that we do and believe here and now.
Because of the resurrection, death became a passage to life
hereafter. It is for this reason that, in their preaching, the apostles
gave a constant stress on the resurrection.
 II. The Catholic View of Death

The importance of the resurrection lies on the fact

that it opened the door that had always been locked.
Through that door, what enters is not a ghost but a
totally new mode of being—the glorified Jesus. That
open door is the foundation of our hope of eternal life.
That open door helps us to take a fundamental posture
of love and self-detachment, instead of fear and
complaints, in the face of death.
 II. The Catholic View of Death

For us Catholics, the considerable attention and effort

we give to honor the dead go beyond the emotional and
sentimental or traditional aspects. Our remembrance of the
dead shows our belief in the afterlife. The prayers we offer
for the eternal repose of their souls mean that we believe in
the salvation of souls hereafter. The funeral rites at home, in
the Church, and in the cemetery speak well of our faith in
Jesus Christ who said, “I Am the resurrection and the life,
whoever believes in Me, even if he dies, will live” (Jn
11:25).
 II. The Catholic View of Death

The Christian view of death is plainly expressed in the

Church’s liturgical celebration of the Christian funeral:

“Lord, for your faithful people life is changed, not

ended. When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in
death, We gain an everlasting dwelling place in
heaven.”
-Roman Missal, Preface of Christian Death I
DEATH as a FRIEND
Reflection Read Transforming Action
Lesson 3 of Stay with us Lord
Book 4: Life and Beyond, then
answer the guide question under
this.

What is your realization in life

after reading the article?
 Application
Draw an epitaph for yourself. Then,
answer the points to ponder on.

1. How do you feel about this activity? Explain.

2. What do you think is the importance of the epitaph?

3. What is the meaning of your self-made epitaph?

 Application

Criteria • Content
• Language
• Conventions (Grammar, Capitalization,
Spelling and Punctuation)
• Presentation
 References

1. Panganiban, et al (2017). Road to Emmaus Series: Stay With

Us, Lord! Liturgy and Sacraments: The Phoenix Publishing
House Inc.

2.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-warns-of-a-tr
ivialized-vision-of-death-without-hope/

3.
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/francis-chronicles/pope-franci
s-christian-hope-does-not-let-sting-death-poison-your-life
Death: A Friend and a Promise
Module in LIFE AND BEYOND