The other day,
during class, as I was teaching, I had a very famous picture of St. Jerome in
one of my power point slides. On his desk, however, was a skull, and I asked
the students if they knew why a saint, who spent most of his life translating
the Bible, would have a skull on his desk.
After many strange answers, they finally realized it was a way in which to remind him of death and, therefore, motivate him, more or less, in life. The painting however, is actually part of a genre of art known as memento mori, which is a Latin phrase that means “remember death.”
In fact, it is believed to have its origins in Rome, whereby a servant would stand in back of a general who was victorious in battle. As the story goes as he would parade through the streets to the triumph and cheer of the crowds, the servant would whisper in his ears, in Latin, “Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man! Remember that you will die!”
And, while it is not a popular topic, it a reality and for many one of our greatest fears, because it is the fear of the unknown, and there is no greater unknown than that of death.
Yet, the reality is that the fear is not just the anxiety of a transition from this life to the next as much as it is, or should be, in our case, as to the question of whether we have truly fulfilled the Will of God, if we have lived the vocation He has called us to live. In fact, before my third open-heart, my greatest fear was not so much departing this life, as much as it was the fear of whether I served God as best as I could.
Because, when all is said and done, we take nothing with us, except the way in which we have lived our lives and the way in which we have sought to love God or avoid Him by our sins.
Our Gospel today makes this very clear and, in fact, is a composite of what the Church has called the Four Last Things, that is, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. And, while these are not spoken about much anymore, the Church, for centuries, used to encourage the meditation on these Four Last Things, which is why St. Jerome had a reminder sitting on his desk every single day.
Because, contrary to what the world will tells us, one day we will depart this world and in that departure we will have to make an account of our lives. Our prayer, of course, is that we are accompanied by the angels to the bosom of Abraham, but that, indeed, is based on the lives we live here and now.
In fact, this is the motivation from the Church to call us to become saints, this is why the Church even exists, to help us to become saints. And, the way that happens is the means that Christ, through the Church has given us: the Sacraments, especially the sacrament of Reconciliation, to cleanse and purify our souls often so that we can prepare ourselves properly to receive the Most Holy Eucharist, the very source and summit of our lives as Catholics.
Yet, that was the rich man’s concern, that his brothers would suffer his same fate, that they would ignore the Word of God, that they would ignore His prophets, that they would ignore the means that had been given to them for their salvation.
This is why Abraham’s response is telling, he says: “'They have Moses and the prophets,” and if they refuse to listen, then nothing would be able to change their mind. In fact, Fr. Schouppe the author of a book called The Dogma of Hell (you know, some light reading) says it well, he says: “how long…would people on earth listen to this person who came back from Hell?...Realistically, he says, “It would probably be news for only a day or two, and after that a relative few would still be interested for somewhat longer.” But then as he puts it, “the [demands] of this life would interrupt the attention of those who need to be warned.”
Yet, centuries ago someone did come to warn us, and not only warn us but show us how to avoid the same lot as the rich man, which is still preached even today. For, if Christ can descend into Hell and return unscathed, then it is only by our confidence and our trust in Him that we can learn how to remain safe. Indeed, He has given us the means, He has showed us the road before us.
This is why we should not live with a fear of death, but, instead seek to live a life of faith, seek to become saints, seek sanctity always and not just live so as to die but live so as to live eternally in Heaven.
To live the life of a saint, to be a person of prayer, of sacrifice, of sacraments, of devotions and conviction, fearless in our profession of the faith, especially in this day and age, fearless in our desire to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.
That is why we need to look to the saints as models, as means of inspiration, and “each day,” in the words of St. Josemaria Escriva, “be conscious of your duty to be a saint. A saint! And that doesn’t mean as Escriva goes on to say, doing strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through to the end.”
Because, in the end, that is the purpose of life, that is why we are here, and that is what I desire for myself, that is what I desire for all of you, because in the words of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, with whom I leave you with today: “The past is no longer yours; the future is not yet in your power. You have only the present wherein to do good.”
After many strange answers, they finally realized it was a way in which to remind him of death and, therefore, motivate him, more or less, in life. The painting however, is actually part of a genre of art known as memento mori, which is a Latin phrase that means “remember death.”
In fact, it is believed to have its origins in Rome, whereby a servant would stand in back of a general who was victorious in battle. As the story goes as he would parade through the streets to the triumph and cheer of the crowds, the servant would whisper in his ears, in Latin, “Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man! Remember that you will die!”
And, while it is not a popular topic, it a reality and for many one of our greatest fears, because it is the fear of the unknown, and there is no greater unknown than that of death.
Yet, the reality is that the fear is not just the anxiety of a transition from this life to the next as much as it is, or should be, in our case, as to the question of whether we have truly fulfilled the Will of God, if we have lived the vocation He has called us to live. In fact, before my third open-heart, my greatest fear was not so much departing this life, as much as it was the fear of whether I served God as best as I could.
Because, when all is said and done, we take nothing with us, except the way in which we have lived our lives and the way in which we have sought to love God or avoid Him by our sins.
Our Gospel today makes this very clear and, in fact, is a composite of what the Church has called the Four Last Things, that is, Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. And, while these are not spoken about much anymore, the Church, for centuries, used to encourage the meditation on these Four Last Things, which is why St. Jerome had a reminder sitting on his desk every single day.
Because, contrary to what the world will tells us, one day we will depart this world and in that departure we will have to make an account of our lives. Our prayer, of course, is that we are accompanied by the angels to the bosom of Abraham, but that, indeed, is based on the lives we live here and now.
In fact, this is the motivation from the Church to call us to become saints, this is why the Church even exists, to help us to become saints. And, the way that happens is the means that Christ, through the Church has given us: the Sacraments, especially the sacrament of Reconciliation, to cleanse and purify our souls often so that we can prepare ourselves properly to receive the Most Holy Eucharist, the very source and summit of our lives as Catholics.
Yet, that was the rich man’s concern, that his brothers would suffer his same fate, that they would ignore the Word of God, that they would ignore His prophets, that they would ignore the means that had been given to them for their salvation.
This is why Abraham’s response is telling, he says: “'They have Moses and the prophets,” and if they refuse to listen, then nothing would be able to change their mind. In fact, Fr. Schouppe the author of a book called The Dogma of Hell (you know, some light reading) says it well, he says: “how long…would people on earth listen to this person who came back from Hell?...Realistically, he says, “It would probably be news for only a day or two, and after that a relative few would still be interested for somewhat longer.” But then as he puts it, “the [demands] of this life would interrupt the attention of those who need to be warned.”
Yet, centuries ago someone did come to warn us, and not only warn us but show us how to avoid the same lot as the rich man, which is still preached even today. For, if Christ can descend into Hell and return unscathed, then it is only by our confidence and our trust in Him that we can learn how to remain safe. Indeed, He has given us the means, He has showed us the road before us.
This is why we should not live with a fear of death, but, instead seek to live a life of faith, seek to become saints, seek sanctity always and not just live so as to die but live so as to live eternally in Heaven.
To live the life of a saint, to be a person of prayer, of sacrifice, of sacraments, of devotions and conviction, fearless in our profession of the faith, especially in this day and age, fearless in our desire to love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves.
That is why we need to look to the saints as models, as means of inspiration, and “each day,” in the words of St. Josemaria Escriva, “be conscious of your duty to be a saint. A saint! And that doesn’t mean as Escriva goes on to say, doing strange things. It means a daily struggle in the interior life and in heroically fulfilling your duty right through to the end.”
Because, in the end, that is the purpose of life, that is why we are here, and that is what I desire for myself, that is what I desire for all of you, because in the words of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, with whom I leave you with today: “The past is no longer yours; the future is not yet in your power. You have only the present wherein to do good.”
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