Seeing Death
“Remember how short my time is — For what vanity you have created all mortals! Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol?”
Psalm 89:47-48
In the mid-1600s, the “Black Death” or “Black Plague” wiped out nearly one-third of the population of Europe and the British Isles. What once felt like ancient history has found new light as the world has grappled with COVID-19. Great idea! The cause of the Plague was a source of great speculation. One theory was it came from the thick blankets of soot and ash which filled the London skyline. People began to carry flower petals in their pockets thinking that might ward off the disease. Groups of victims who were still able to stand were taken to outside treatment centers. While holding hands, they would walk in circles around rose gardens, breathing in the freshness of the blooming flowers and singing what we all learned as a nursery rhyme:
Ring around the roses,
A pocket full of posies.
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.
But they were wrong; people continued to “fall down” until the real cause of the sickness was determined: flea bites from diseased rats.
Death is a hard thing to ponder, but it is a good thing to ponder. It is not unique to our age that people try to postpone or avoid death. Charlatans were selling life-lengthening tonic water almost as soon as bottles could be crafted. De Soto was not the first to seek the mythical “fountain of youth.” Today, all we have to do is turn on late-night television to find pills, herbs, formulas, weight-loss programs and exercise machines that claim to take the years away. Plastic surgery in the Western world has grown into a veritable industry. Thinking that any of these offers or procedures will protect us from death is no different from placing posies in our pockets. The truth is we all fall down.
“Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return,” are the most familiar words spoken during the Ash Wednesday services in several Christian traditions.[1] It would be quite depressing if that was all there was to the message, but the gift of death is a reminder of the gift of life itself, of the need to make the most of life while we live it, of the need to live life as it should be lived.
We are all “terminally ill.” None of us can escape the power of what the Psalmist calls Sheol — the grave. If we know there is a finish line toward which we are all running whether we like it or not, then should it not drive us to make the very most and best of our lives? By “most,” I mean should we not learn to feed ourselves with those things that will bless us in every way — physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually? By “best,” should we not seek to live moral, ethical lives, lives of peace and harmony with God, with our neighbor, with ourselves?
Many see death as an enemy to be avoided. Perhaps it can be a companion along life’s journey to remind us to make the most and the best of it.
Another step…
If there was one phrase by which you would like to be remembered, what would it be?
Prayer
Almighty and most merciful God,
Out of the dust of the earth you created us,
Male and female you fashioned in your image.
Keep us ever mindful of the fragility of life,
And of its precious nature, of its glorious gift.
In your mercy forgive my moments of ingratitude,
Strengthen my resolve to open my life to your
Leading, to your power, to your presence,
That as my earthly days begin to fade with each passing moment,
I may not fear, but instead rest in
The blessed assurance of everlasting life with you,
And all the saints in light.
Through Christ our Lord.
[1] Genesis 2:7.
