This is a Latin proverb meaning “Remember: you must die.” Not the happiest of proverbs, but important; remembering the inevitability of death is a powerful means of orienting one’s life around what is most important – eternal salvation. November is a kind of Memento Mori as our focus shifts to the Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell. Our Faith teaches us that “Each person receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgement that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of Heaven – through a purification [in Purgatory] or immediately – or immediate and everlasting damnation” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1022). The judgement we receive upon our death is final; at that moment there will be no more chances to repent, to convert, to conform, to amend, to love – “death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ” (CCC, 1021). In speaking of this, the Church calls to mind the beautiful words of St. John of the Cross: “In the evening of life, we will be judged on our love”. Of course, love means something very specific for the Christian – it means loving as Christ calls us to love, loving all that is true, good, and beautiful; it means striving to do good and avoiding evil. Jesus is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) – and we will be judged according to the degree with which our own lives are really just the reliving of His life in us: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Gal. 2:20).
Because of the finality of death, the Church urges us to pray for the grace of a happy death so that we are prepared to meet our Maker. We know not when the Lord will return at the end of time; that is a mystery hidden in God: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2). Though that “final day” is uncertain, we do know that each of us will meet Him, perhaps sooner than we think, when die and receive our particular judgement. This day is also a thief and a much closer one at that, and so more than anything, this is the day for which we must be prepared. Making a good confession and confessing all mortal sins is necessary to prepare for that day and for a happy death. Mortal sin is frightful stuff – it’s the only thing that can prevent us from going to Heaven; those who die in the state of mortal sin go to Hell. Saint Louis IX’s mother believed this so wholeheartedly that she once told her son: “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should ever commit one mortal sin.” She realized that Heaven belongs only to those who remain in the grace of God, and for one who is in the state of grace, bodily death is just a passing thing; to remain in the grace of God is better than even earthly life itself!
I can echo her sentiment: I share these admittedly challenging words with you because I love you. I do neither you nor myself any good if I obscure the way of getting to Heaven or if I diminish the real obstacles along that path for the sake of being “nice”. It is in the best interest of all of us that the truths of our salvation are communicated clearly and openly; anything less puts us at risk. Yet, we don’t stop with this – there’s more! Beyond the heavy truth of sin there is the liberating truth of God’s mercy. The Lord knows our frailty even after we’ve been baptized, and so for mortal sins committed after baptism He gave us the Sacrament of Confession. This sacrament is the only ordinary means of forgiving mortal sins in this life, and it sets the individual free when by his choice he surrenders to mortal sin, and it is such a gift. The best way to prepare for death is first to make a good confession; it’s a sacrament of peace, and the soul can truly be at peace when it hears those consoling words of the Lord through His priest: “I absolve you of your sins.” The greatest act of charity we can perform towards ourselves is to repent of sin and strive to amend our lives in the love of Christ; the greatest act of charity we can make towards a loved one who is dying is to call the priest while they are still able to make a good confession. And when this repentance gives rise to a life of increasing holiness through prayer, the practice of the Faith, and performing good and sacrificial works of mercy and love, we will be ready to meet the Lord when He comes, and it will prove to be the happiest day of our everlasting lives.
I will be travelling with some of my brother priests in the week ahead. I leave you in Fr. Jacquemin’s capable hands, and I am grateful to him and the parish staff for tending the parish while I am away. Please pray for safe travels and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. May God bless you in the week ahead and may Mother Mary lead you more deeply into the Sacred and Merciful Heart of Jesus. I remain,
Affectionately Yours in Christ,
Fr. Hess
