Memento Mori

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Will I die a good death?

This question is not as morbid as may first appear, particularly from a Catholic point of view. Our faith teaches that we are the pilgrim people of God, journeying through this vale of tears toward our heavenly home.

“Remember you must die.” This message echoes not only in Christian literature but also in Judaism and pagan philosophy. A few examples: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90), and “those who pursue philosophy aright study nothing but dying and being dead” (Plato, Phaedo).

November is a good time to reflect on the end of our days. We start the month by celebrating all those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. These holy men and women died a good death in the sense that they achieved the goal of heaven. We, too, – every one of us – are meant to do the same.

“All Christians are called to be saints,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops state on their webpage devoted to saints, adding that saints “are persons in heaven (officially canonized or not).”

Unfortunately for my purposes today, the bishops don’t explain how it is that we can accomplish this goal, though the saints themselves assure us that it is possible: “We can, if we will, become a saint, for God will never refuse to help us to do so” (St. John Vianney) and “After seven years in the religious life, I still am weak and imperfect. I always feel, however, the same bold confidence of becoming a great saint because I don’t count on my merits since I have none, but I trust in him who is virtue and holiness” (St. Therese of Lisieux).

As the Little Flower points out, we cannot become saints on our own merits, but rather through the grace of God. It’s also a lifelong process, except perhaps for those martyrs whose one heroic act led immediately to their death – I recently read of a pagan Roman solider who converted to Christianity and was executed on the spot. I apologize for not giving the name of this saint, but I can’t find it in my reading material and a quick Google search doesn’t bring it up.

This automatic sainthood, as it were, is rare. Rather, many if not most saints followed a twisting path to holiness. One of my favorite saints, Francis of Assisi, is an excellent example: As a young person he liked to drink and party, loved fine clothes and ran with a crowd that was “addicted to evil and accustomed to vice,” as his biographer wrote.

Francis himself acknowledged his unsavory youth, saying, “I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone.”

And God did work through Francis. After a war injury, the young man who upon heading out to battle announced that he would return a prince instead came back to renounce his patrimony as the son of a wealthy merchant. Instead, he devoted himself to repairing the Church, eventually establishing the religious order we call Franciscans.

Returning to my earlier question, about how to achieve sainthood, the saints do have some advice:

“Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make a man go to Heaven.” – Saint Camillus de Lellis

“Always keep lifting your foot to climb the ladder of holiness, and do not imagine that you can mount even the first step. All God asks of you is good will. From the top of the ladder he looks lovingly upon you, and soon, touched by your fruitless efforts, he will himself come down and, taking you in his arms, will carry you to his kingdom, never again to leave him. But should you cease to raise your foot, you will be left for long on the earth.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

I quite often lift my foot to the first rung of the ladder, only to cease; it is good to be reminded to persevere. Saint Mark the Ascetic said that a person who perseveres in vigils, prayer and patient acceptance of what comes “will be helped in other ways as well; but he who is slack and negligent will suffer intolerably on leaving this life.”

On leaving this life I would prefer to be carried in God’s arms to his kingdom instead of suffering intolerably, so my goal is to continue to think well, speak well, do well, keep lifting my foot and pray.

Marie Mischel is editor of the Intermountain Catholic. Reach her at marie@icatholic.org.