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Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
- caelidomum
- Sep 20
- 5 min read
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Death.
The Gospel according to St. Luke, vii. 11-16
“At that time Jesus went into a city called Nairn, and there went with Him His disciples and a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a great multitude of the city was with her. Whom, when the Lord had seen, being moved with mercy towards her, He said to her: Weep not. And He came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it stood still. And He said: Young man, I say to thee, Arise; and he that was dead sat up and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all; and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up among us, and God hath visited His people.”
Summary of the Morrow’s Meditation.
The gospel of tomorrow, by recounting to us the funeral procession of a young man who is about to be buried, invites us thereby to meditate upon death. In order to obey this desire of the Church, we will make to-morrow three reflections: 1st, what is it to die? 2d, when and how shall I die ? 3d, if I should have to die to-day, what should I wish to have done ? We will then make the resolution: 1st, to detach ourselves from the present moment from all that we shall have to leave at our death; 2d, to perform each action as though we had to die immediately afterwards. We will retain as our spiritual nose gay the words of St. Bernard: “If thou hadst to die in a moment, wouldst thou do this or that ?”
Meditation for the Morning.
Let us adore the Holy Ghost inviting us to meditate upon our last end, and assuring us that this meditation will enable us to lead a perfect life, because it will reveal to us what time and eternity are worth, what the world is worth with all its enjoyments, its riches, and its honors; what we must think of the adversities which try us, of the prosperity which tempts us, of the frivolity which renders us dissipated, of the pride which swells us, of the tepidity which makes us drowsy, of the indifference and temerity with which we treat the affair of our salvation (Ecclus. vii. 40). Let us thank the Holy Ghost for so important a counsel.
What is it to Die ?
I shall die; that is to say, 1st, I shall leave everything without exception; I shall quit my relations, my friends, my family; I shall address to them an eternal farewell; I shall quit my home, my furniture, my possessions, all that belongs to me. I shall leave everything and absolutely. What are the things to which I am most attached? I shall leave them as well as everything else. What a universal abandonment ! However, it must be. Alas ! what folly to attach one's self here below to what one will have so soon to leave ! I have given myself a great deal of trouble to acquire and preserve what I possess, and I must quit everything. Why not separate myself from it beforehand by a complete detachment ?
I shall die; that is to say, 2d, my soul will leave my body, and from that time my body will be an object of which my relations and friends will only think of getting rid as soon as possible, an infected corpse capable of poisoning everything if it be not at once buried; it will therefore be put into the ground, and what will there become of the body which at present occupies me so much ? What will become of these hands, these feet, this head ? How insane, then, I am, to flatter and adorn what will soon be nothing but dust and ashes ! how insane I am to expose my soul and my eternity to risk for the sake of my body and its empty enjoyments ! Shall I be much thought of by men after my death ? Alas ! the dead are so little remembered ! Who is it that recollects such or such a person whom I have known, whom I have seen die? Oh, of how little value is the esteem of men ! I shall die; that is to say, 3d, my soul will go and appear before the tribunal of God. O fearful moment ! to find myself alone in the presence of God, there to answer for the whole of my life before a God who is supremely just, supremely enlightened, a supreme enemy of sin, and therefore without mercy ! To escape this judgment there is but one means; it is to judge myself severely here below, and then I shall not be judged (I. Cor. xi. 31).
When and How shall I Die ?
How long have I still to live ? 1 cannot tell (I. Kings xx. 3). On an average 4,500 men die every hour upon the globe, 75 every minute. What hour, what minute will be mine ? The gospel tells us it will be the hour and the moment when I least expect it (Luke xii. 40). God has ordered it thus, so that I may not with any show of reason relax in my preparation during one single day and that I may be always ready (St. Augustine); for if I go to sleep for one single day in a state in which I would not wish to die, perhaps my awaking will be in hell. Not only am I ignorant as to when I shall die, but I am also profoundly ignorant as to how I shall die. Shall I die a sudden death, without having time to prepare myself ? There are so many who die in this way. Shall I die of a malady which will take from me my senses and my speech, and consequently the possibility of preparing myself ? Shall I die of a slow malady which will make others and myself fancy that I am not in danger and there is no hurry ? Shall I die surrounded by persons who, being afraid of alarming me, will not dare to speak to me about sending for a priest ? Shall I die, lastly, without confession, without the last sacraments ? I know nothing about it, and even should I be able to receive them, physical suffering distracts and absorbs me, and we are capable of but very little; it is therefore folly to count upon the last moments to regulate the most serious of all affairs, the affair of a happy or unhappy eternity. Let us then be ready to-day, let us be ready always, and do not let us put off anything to an uncertain to-morrow (Matt. xxiv. 44).
If I had to Die To-night, what should I Desire to have Done ?
1st. Am I ready to die ? Are my temporal affairs settled and my will properly made? Is my con science in order ? Have I nothing to fear in regard to my confessions, to my communions, the accomplishment of the duties of my position ? 2d. If I knew that I was to die at the end of to-day, how well should I spend it, how well should I employ every moment ! If I had to die after this prayer, with what attention and fervor should I not pray ! If it were to be after this confession, after this communion, after this Mass, after this visit to the Blessed Sacrament, in what a holy manner should I perform all these holy things ! Let us here examine ourselves thoroughly and understand what a change would take place in ourselves and in all our conduct after having thoroughly well meditated upon the thought of death (Ecclus. xli. 3).
Resolutions and spiritual nosegay as above.
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