Death Chapter 25 Lesson 1

Read Genesis 3 Death and decay are consequences of original sin. In Creation, God breathed into the man he formed from dirt.  Dirt – represents body  Breath – represents the eternal soul Man was created for eternal life. Had he not sinned, man would live forever and never experience sickness or suffering. Since man has sinned he now must experience death.

Define death Death is the separation of the finite body from the eternal soul.

How do you view death and how do you feel about it?  Mt 4: 12-17,16:18  Mt 19:16-21, 28: 1-9  Jn 3:15-16, 5:24  Jn 6:35-54, 68  Jn 11:17-44

Christian death is a positive event.  In death, God calls man to himself.  Christ can transform our death into an act of obedience and love for the Father.  To rise with Christ, we must die with Christ.  Christ transformed death from a curse to a blessing by his self-sacrifice.  We can joyfully anticipate the eternal glories to come.

Communion of Saints  We can pray for the intercession of the saints in heaven and the holy souls in purgatory.  In communion we are closely bound to the Mystical Body of Christ, of which Christ is the head.

Séances, occult practices and reincarnation  Catholics are not to communicate with the dead in these practices  Participation is a mortal sin  At the end of our earthly lives, we shall not return to our earthly lives.  Our life does not end- it is changed and glorified.

Saint Thomas More on Death These quotes are from a play A Man for all Seasons by Robert Bolt about the life and martyrdom of Saint Thomas More. It is historically accurate. “For our own deaths… dare we for shame enter the kingdom with ease when Our Lord himself entered with so much pain?” “Death comes for us all; even at our birth, death does but stand aside a little. And every day he looks towards us and muses to himself whether that day or the next he will draw nigh. It is the law of nature and the will of God.”