St. Vincent's Manual/Considerations on Death
CONSIDERATIONS ON DEATH.
MEDITATION ON THE DESIRE OF DEATH.
FIRST POINT.
IT is a great grace not to be afraid of death; and it is a great perfection to desire it, with a well regulated desire; for what virtue can we possess, which is not included in the desire of death? We may go over every virtue separately, and we will find, that in a well ordered desire of death, all are comprised. The stronger then our desire of death is, the more we shall advance in virtue, and the nearer we shall approach to what God desires us to be.
SECOND POINT.
THIS desire of death, to be really good, must be divested of self-love. We sometimes wish for death, that we may be delivered from an unhappy life; now, this desire is not entirely pure. A fervent soul never desires to be freed from this fife merely because it is an unhappy one,full of pains and trials: on the contrary, if there were no other evil in it, she would do all in her power to preserve it; since the more pains and trials we have, the greatest sacrifices we may make, to God, and the more we may prove our love to him. We may wish for death, because it will bring us to the possession of the object of our creation—the enjoyment of God ; we may wish for it, because after death we shall be no longer exposed to the danger of offending God. The Saints desired, death for these reasons, and so also may we.
THIRD POINT.
THE purest and best motive for desiring death is, because we cannot live without sinning, and instead of becoming more and more pleasing in the eyes of God, we disobey him daily — adding sin to sin. Who, that loves God, can help wishing for death from this motive? What pain can be so insupportable as to love God ardently, and yet see ourselves in a sort of impossibility to avoid offending him, either through the evil inclinations of our corrupt nature, or the habits we have contracted by the sins of our past life?
O my God! when I reflect that not a day passes in which I do not offend thee, and commit even the sins I would wish most to avoid, that I do so little good, not even the good I desire to do; how can I help wishing to be delivered from the body of this death? What are all the sufferings of this world, compared with the misfortune of offending my God! It is not the happiness of the blessed I sigh for, so much as the joy and happiness of no more offending thee, my God; of being no more unfaithful to thy grace.
Come then, O Death! that I may no more offend my God, no more oppose his will.
VARIOUS REASONS FOR DESIRING DEATH.
DEATH may be lawfully desired for several reasons:
1st. God is our last end; and since death is the door through which we go to him, we may desire it. The more we desire it, the more we shall love God, and the less unworthy we shall be of his love.
2d. Let us consider that death liberates us from a gloomy prison. Draw me out of this prison, says the Psalmist, that I may bless thy name.
3d. Let us consider death as the end of that day, mentioned in the gospel, on which the master of the vineyard called the laborers to receive their hire. Job called the day of death, the day of recompense, after the toils of life.
4th. Let us consider death as the time of Harvest. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Going, they went and wept, casting their seeds; but coming, they shall come joy, bearing their sheaves: — as the just carrying their good works up to heaven, after the toils, trials, and sorrows of their exile upon earth.
5th. Let us Consider death as the end of a tedious sad painful war. Job says: I will wait through the days of this sorrowful combat, till my happy change shall take place. . . . The life of man upon earth is a warfare. Life is indeed a continual war, with the world, Satan and ourselves. O day of everlasting peace and rest! when will you dawn on my soul?
6th. St. Thomas says we put off our body as a Heavy load— heavy indeed to those who wish to run in the way of holiness. Let us consider death as laying down our tabernacle of clay. What, indeed, is our body, but a tent, not given us for a dwelling, but a covering for the moment — a shelter during our journey to eternity?
7th. Let us consider death as the harbor in which the just are received, with, the riches they have gained, after they quit the deep and perilous ocean of this fife. Blessed are they who enter this harbor in safety! There storms and shipwreck are feared no more.
8th. Let us consider death as the end of a long exile from our true home and country. How indescribable is the happiness of a poor exile returning to his home, the dwelling of his family! Ah, how affectionate is the embrace of his father, and the welcome of his friends!
9th. Let us consider death as the passage from death to life. Our life in this world is truly a death. By dying, we find life and lose death. How immense; is the gain procured by this loss!
10th, Let us consider death as the dawn of the bright day of eternity. The night past— the day dawning. Oh! the glorious day that knows no night!
11th. Let us consider death as the coming of the heavenly Spouse. How blessed his coming for those happy ones who are waiting for him with a holy impatience!