Help with understanding Christian death

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OK. My mom is terrified of dying. Faithfilled woman, but terrified.

Couple of Q’s
  1. What is the best way to explain to her and to someone who is scared of dying?
  2. Why should we as Christians look forward to the after life?
  3. Scripture says that God hates death, but then why did His Son have to die?
Thank you and God bless
 
I_thirst_4_YOU said:
OK. My mom is terrified of dying. Faithfilled woman, but terrified.

Couple of Q’s
  1. What is the best way to explain to her and to someone who is scared of dying?
  2. Why should we as Christians look forward to the after life?
  3. Scripture says that God hates death, but then why did His Son have to die?
Thank you and God bless
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Good questions. I look forward to the answers.
 
Imagine that everything that is imperfect in us is gone. No more worries, stress, temptation, anger, hate, sorrow, pain, infirmities, biases, envy, sloth, lust, greed, jealousy, pride, gluttony, self loathing, guilt, sadness, lies , ignorance, etc. And that we will know the truth about everything, We will know the depths of the Fathers love, and peace, We will no longer have the capacity to hate, covet, get discouraged or bored,. We will not be limited by time or space. We will be as gods in perfect communion with the Father.

As much as we can imagine we fall short of the glory and joys of Heaven…

But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and upon the heart of man has not come up that which God has prepared for those who love him.”
 
I_thirst_4_YOU said:
OK. My mom is terrified of dying. Faithfilled woman, but terrified.
  1. Scripture says that God hates death, but then why did His Son have to die?
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His Son died but rose again. In doing so He defeated death and opened the gates of heaven so that we too could gain forgiveness and attain heaven. He paid the debt mankind owed God for its sinfulness.
 
If we are scared to die, then we must also be scared to live, since the two are inseparable. Yet, death, as we perceive it, is not the end, but the beginning. It is a door through which we must pass before we are able to enjoy the beatific vision - being in God’s presence. With each transition in our lives, there is a certain amount of uneasiness, but the end of our earthly lives holds more promise than the earth could ever deliver.

Either we believe in everlasting life, or we do not. Either we have confidence in Christ’s promises, or we do not. Either we read the teaching of the Church on death and dying, or we do not. Ask her to read Saint Paul’s Second letter to Timothy, as Paul was soon thereafter to die at the hands of the Romans. He actually preferred the next life to this one - as should each and every Christian. Our Lord did not die solely that we might have help in this life - He died so that we might never die.

It is out of pure love that God planned this. His love of us is so intense that we cannot withstand it in our corrupted, mortal bodies. The recent celebration of Easter should remind us that death has been defeated, and no longer holds power over us - as long as we remain in Christ so that He remains in us. But, we must BELIEVE. Doubt and discouragement is of the enemy.

I have had to confront death twice now, and the third time is certainly on its way. I no longer fear death, as its power was defeated forever by the Blood of Christ. Yet, I am assured of eternal life only if I keep Christ’s commands. Remind her of Hebrews 11:1, which gives the best definition of faith that has ever been written.

Have her focus on Christ’s promises and the comforting words of scripture.
 
There are a lot of good Catholic books on learning how not to fear death, so that one can have a “good death”. “The Art of Dying Well” is one of them.

St. Joseph is an excellent example and patron for people who fear death, because the tradition is that he died in the company of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, and you can’t do better than that. He’s such a dad, you can’t be afraid with him around. 🙂

St. Michael and one’s guardian angel traditionally are close by, when you die. So there’s a whole crowd of people with you, and God is with you on top of that, when you go.
 
I_thirst_4_YOU said:
Couple of Q’s
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*1) What is the best way to explain to her and to someone who is scared of dying? * **
Death, for someone who is in the state of grace, is to simply complete our pilgrimage on earth; we are going home. Thus we put our trust in Jesus. It helps to pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy, repeating the words, Jesus, I Trust in You

2) Why should we as Christians look forward to the after life?
Again, death is simply going home to God, who knows us better than we know ourselves. Thus we must concern ourselves with fulfilling our mission on earth; which is to become instruments of God’s grace, by allowing God to transform us into the people he wants us to become. The simple purpose of life is to become a saint within our state in life, with the circumstances and people we encounter.

***3) Scripture says that God hates death, but then why did His Son have to die? ***
The crucifixion is God’s way of showing us the horror of sin. We sin through our body: our hands, feet, our thoughts of pride, hate, etc; God became man and took human flesh so that he could suffer in reparation for our sins. Thus His hands fere pierced in pain, His feet were pierced, his head crowned with thorns, and His entire body scourged. Thus a crucifix is a reminder of God’s great love for us.

One of the requirements for being saved, is to sincerely repent of our sins. Thus when we gaze upon a crucifix, it helps us to become contrite and sorrowful for our sins, knowing that our sin greatly offends God. Therefore, since God made us in His Image and Likeness, this simply means that we have an intellect for truth, and a will for goodness and love. Therefore we bring sin into the world when we misuse our intellect and will. Since God is outside of time, the Sacrifice of Christ is always present in the eyes of God, so Christ died in reparation for sins of all men, past, present and future.

Now, since God is Truth, Goodness and Love itself, the purpose of our intellect and will is to serve God. Thus Jesus Christ teaches us that we must love God with all our heart, all our strength and all our soul; and we also must love our neighbor as our self.

Here are some short talks by Bishop Sheen about what to expect at our death, etc. Sit back and listen to them, they are short talks:

OUR LIFE OF GRACE

DEATH AND JUDGMENT

HEAVEN

PURGATORY

HELL

HOW TO BE A CHRISTIAN

YOUR MISSION IN LIFE

GOOD AND EVIL
 
I_thirst_4_YOU said:
But why? Why must we die? Is death painful?
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The Bible and the Church explain that death is the consequence of sin. So thanks to the original parents of the human race (Adam and Eve) all of us inherited that consequence. But we call Jesus our savior because He restored our relationship with God; and even though our bodies will grow old, die and turn into dust; the soul is saved from eternal separation from God, and at the end of time, all the saved will be reunited with a glorified body, at the resurrection of the dead on the Last Day.

Our physical deaths can be painful, and they are always sad, because we have to say goodbye to our loved ones. But we who hope and trust in Christ look forward to the day when we are again united in God’s Kingdom; where there will be no pain, no suffering and no more death. But the pains we suffer on earth can become redemptive. *Redemptive Suffering * is very powerful, when a soul in the state of grace unites their sufferings to the sufferings of Christ for the good of others. You might want to study that topic some more. But our suffering on earth can also make up for any purification we might need after we die; in a state the Church calls purgatory.

But the way we live our life on earth before we die will determine our eternity; and only those who die in the state of grace can be saved; thus we pray for a happy and holy death, which means to die in God’s grace with the last sacraments, and well prepared for our judgment. And the more good we do for the glory of God with our time on earth, the higher our reward in heaven will be. Our judgment will be based on how much we have loved God and neighbor, by following His commandments and sacrificing ourselves for others.

The glorified bodies of the saved will be like that of Christ’s after His resurrection. St. Paul speaks thus: *“One is the glory of the celestial bodies and another of the terrestrial: one is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it shall rise in glory; it is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power; it is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body.” *

Here are the qualities of the glorified body as taught by the Church:

The Qualities of the Glorious Body

Theologians distinguish four chief qualities in the glorified body:

*Impassibility
* Subtility
* Agility
* Clarity

Impassibility is the gift which preserves not only from death, but also from pain. [650] It arises from the perfect submission of the body to the soul.

Agility delivers bodies from the heaviness which weighs down the present life. The risen body can go where the soul pleases, with a swiftness and ease which St. Jerome compares to that of the eagle.

Subtility renders the body capable of penetrating other bodies without difficulty. Thus the glorious body of the risen Christ entered the Cenacle though the doors were closed.

**Clarity **gives to the body of the saints that brightness, that splendor, which is the very essence of the beautiful. Our Lord says: “Then shall the just shine as the sun in the kingdom of their father.” To give an idea of this quality, He was transfigured before His apostles on Thabor. St. Paul says: “Jesus Christ will reform the body of our lowness, made like to the body of His glory.” The Israelites in the desert saw an image of this glory on the forehead of Moses, after He had seen God and received God’s words. He was so luminous that their eyes could not endure the splendor.

This clarity is but a reflection, an overflowing, of the glory of the soul on that of the body. Hence the bodies of the saints will not all have the same degree of clarity, but each will have the degree proportioned to its light of glory. Thus St. Paul says: *“Star differeth from star in glory, so also is the resurrection of the dead.” *

Lastly, our senses will find a pure and ineffable joy in the humanity of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, the choir of the saints, the beauties of the renovated world, the chants of adoration and thanksgiving in the city of God. Such will be the accidental beatitude of heaven after the renovation of the world.

P.S.
Here is a video about how we will be judged: VIDEO
 
Is the moment of death painful itself? I have been telling people NO–death itself is not painful b/c Jesus has taken the sting away from death. Life and the dying process is painful but death…no pain what so ever.
 
I_thirst_4_YOU said:
Is the moment of death painful itself? I have been telling people NO–death itself is not painful b/c Jesus has taken the sting away from death. Life and the dying process is painful but death…no pain what so ever.
Click to expand...
I suppose it’s quite painful for someone who is not in God’s grace and dies with un-forgiveness toward others in their heart, or with un-repented sin. The Catholic Church teaches that the Church is made up of people in Heaven, on Earth and in Purgatory. The word “Church” simply means “the people of God”. The* Church Triumphant *are the people in heaven perfectly united with God. The Church Militant are we the people on earth, still struggling against our weaknesses and our human nature that tends us to fall into sin; we are also *soldiers of Christ *bringing the truth, goodness and love into this dark and cruel world.

But The Church Suffering are the people in Purgatory-–those people who have died in God’s grace but were not fully detached from the things of the world or were still slaves to their imperfections, thus must be purified in before seeing God face to face. The greatest pain in Purgatory is a hunger and thirst for God. In order to enter heaven one must be a perfect saint, thus we have a lifetime to allow God to weave holiness and saintliness out of us within our state in life with the time we have on earth, amid the circumstances and people around us. The Goal is to love God with ALL our heart, ALL our mind, ALL our strength, and ALL our soul. The problem is that we sometimes love ourselves more than anything; or put things and people before God.

St. Paul speaks about Purgatory and describes it as a purifying fire:

"… their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames." -1 Corinthians 3:13-15
 
I_thirst_4_YOU said:
OK. My mom is terrified of dying. Faithfilled woman, but terrified.

Couple of Q’s
  1. What is the best way to explain to her and to someone who is scared of dying?
  2. Why should we as Christians look forward to the after life?
  3. Scripture says that God hates death, but then why did His Son have to die?
Thank you and God bless
Click to expand...
How can someone who is faith-filled be so afraid of dying? That sounds like a contradiction in terms.
 
I may as well put in my two bob’s worth here, which will be a mixture of good and bad news. The bad news is that, as I’ve stated ad infinitum, my own father turned up in my room the night he died. He started with an apology, we argued and conversed, and at the end he gave this terrifying scream, and promptly disappeared. I think he’s in Hell.

However he was a Catholic who had long abandoned faith in God and the Church, and had quite a lot to answer for, particularly in regard to his treatment of his own family. He spent 20 years deliberately trying to destroy my confidence for example

Make no mistake - there is a judgement after death, and we’re only kidding ourselves and others if we ignore that.

However I’ve also had the experience on a number of occasions of a sense of “peace” descending on me when some sincere Christians have died. In particular when my old pastor from my first Presbyterian Church died, the sense of peace last for a good half an hour, and it was very noticeable. The phone call next morning informed me at what time he died, and it was indeed the same time as the “sense of peace”.

I’ve had other experiences that lead me to believe that there is definitely life after death, and that heaven and the upper reaches of purgatory are pretty good, to say the least.

The physical act of dying can of course be either painful or painless. We could die in our sleep and not even know about it, until we found ourselves floating out of our bodies. Or we could be tortured to death, have a severe accident, or suffer some drawn out disease such as cancer. But what’s the point of worrying about it? “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof”.

As for “Why” we have to die, **it was never God’s intention **for earthly life to be the be-all and end-all of human existence. It’s as simple as that.

John 10:10 “… I have come” said Christ, “so that you might have LIFE, and have it ** MORE ABUNDANTLY”.**

But to obtain that more abundant life, we first have to die.
 
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