In one of the Indian myths, there is a saying that, “the greatest wonder in the world is that every day we see many people dying, but those who live lead their lives as though there is no death.” As the liturgical year of the church is coming to an end, the scripture readings for the Sunday liturgies invite us to reflect about the last article of the creed, namely our faith in the resurrection of dead and life eternal, about the biblical and Christian vision of death and resurrection.

In the book of Wisdom, we read, “God has created man for immortality; he made him in the image of his own nature” (Wis2:23). Can a human being created in the image and likeness of eternal God, and who is endowed with God’s own spirit just become extinct with his or her death? The Preface of Christian Death I, in the Roman Missal, expresses the Christian of Vision death and resurrection in a short but beautiful prayer:

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 (cf 2 Cor5:1).

When the church administers the last sacrament giving Christ’s pardon and absolution to the dying Christian, they use the following prayer, which gives strength and hope to the dying:

Go forth, Christian soul, from this world in the name of God the almighty Father, who created you, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, who suffered for you, in the name of the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon you. God forth faithful Christian!

May you live in peace this day, may your home be with God in Zion, with Mary, the virgin Mother of God, with Joseph and all the angels and saints…

May you return to your Creator, who formed you from the dust of the earth. May holy Mary, the angels, and all the saints come to meet you as you go forth from this life. May you see your Redeemer face to face. (Catechism of Catholic Church, 1020).

The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian faith and hope of eternal life. St. Paul expresses it very clearly in his letters:

We believe that Jesus died and rose again; so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have died believing in him” (1 The 4:14).

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain (1Cor15:13).

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven (1Cor15:49).

Those who live wisely in this world and those who contribute positively more to the world by their lives are those who live with the awareness of their mortality. It gives urgency to our lives. It makes us to realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfillment. So in this month, when we pray for the departed souls, let us also become more aware of our own death, and resurrection and thereby lead our lives more wisely and effectively.

About the Author:

Fr. Binoy Puthusery, C.M. is a Vincentian priest belonging to the Southern Indian Province. He was ordained as priest on December 27, 2008 and soon after served as an assistant parish priest in Tanzania.  In 2011, after two years of ministry, he was appointed as Spiritual Director to the Vincentian Sisters of Mercy, Mbinga Tanzania, where he still is today.