With the current progress in science and artificial intelligence, I often read about predictions that would extend the lifespan of a person. Diseases will be treated. Death will be delayed. And human beings can live even up to one thousand years on earth!
Can all of these be true? Or do such things only enable us to forget the truth about death and dying?
It is God who has set our limited lifespan after the fall. We were made for immortality, but because of sin, death entered the world.
“God did not make death,
and he does not delight in the death of the living.
For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal.
But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him…”
-Wisdom 1:13-16 (NRSVCE)
We Cannot Avoid Death
No matter how long science may extend our lifespan, we cannot live forever. Sooner or later, we would have to face death.
What is death?
Death is the separation of the soul from the physical body. Death is also the time of judgment for our eternal destiny.
Oftentimes, however, we don’t know the day or the hour we’re going to die. It is like a thief that suddenly comes and steals something precious from us – our very life.
What happens when that moment comes? Have you ever considered what your last moments would be like?
The Moment of Death
When death comes, many people say that scenes from our life will flash before us. We would then realize the kind of life we have lived.
Did we live a meaningful life dedicated to the love of God and neighbor? Are we now ready to offer everything back to God?
For many of us, however, we may have some regrets. We have failed to do this or that. We have hurt some people. And we’re somehow ashamed to let God see everything we ever did.
What more could we possibly do since the time given us is already over?
The Mercy of God
St. Faustina wrote extensively in her diary about God’s mercy. Because she often prayed and attended to the dying, she knew how important it was to be open to Divine Mercy at that last hour.
“God’s mercy sometimes touches the sinner at the last moment in a wondrous and mysterious way. Outwardly, it seems as if everything were lost, but it is not so. The soul, illumined by a ray of God’s powerful final grace, turns to God in the last moment with such a power of love that, in an instant, it receives from God forgiveness of sin and punishment…Although a person is at the point of death, the merciful God gives the soul that interior vivid moment, so that if the soul is willing, it has the possibility of returning to God.” – St. Faustina, Divine Mercy In My Soul (1698)
Few are those souls who have entirely been purified from sin while on earth. At the hour of death, when we see all our sins, we must not despair. We should instead place our trust in the infinite mercy of Jesus Christ.
Perfect Contrition
I could never overemphasize here the importance of perfect contrition. When the last moment of your life comes, it is very important to have this true sorrow and repentance in your heart.
“When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity).” – Catechism of the Catholic Church (1452)
While we may be sad and disappointed with ourselves and our many sins, we should not let that kind of sorrow exceed our sorrow for offending God. Only by loving God and being regretful of offending Him can we hope to enter heaven.
In St. Catherine of Siena’s Dialogue, we can read about how the despair of Judas was more displeasing to God than his betrayal.
Souls who are lost are those who consider their misery greater than God’s mercy.
“This is that sin which is neither pardoned here nor there, because the soul would not be pardoned, depreciating My mercy. Therefore is this last sin graver to Me than all the other sins that the soul has committed.” -The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena
While There Is Still Time
Let us not wait until the very last hour to prepare our hearts for receiving God’s mercy. Even now, we can amend our lives and live in accordance with the will of God.
If you have sinned grievously, seek the Sacrament of Reconciliation and find healing for your soul. If you can fulfill some devotions that could help you at the hour of death, then by all means, do all that you can.
I urge you to start a devotion the Divine Mercy. Jesus has promised so many graces for souls who will glorify His mercy and spread its worship. He has also promised grace for those souls who will pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy.
“Today the Lord said to me, My daughter, write down these words: All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final battle…” – St. Faustina, Divine Mercy In My Soul (1540)
“My daughter, encourage souls to say the chaplet which I have given to you. It pleases Me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one…Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the just Judge but as the merciful Savior. – St. Faustina, Divine Mercy In My Soul (1541)
Jocelyn Soriano writes about relationships and the Catholic faith at “Single Catholic Writer”. She wrote the books 366 Days of Compassion, Defending My Catholic Faith and Questions to God.
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