Death is a Blessing

For many, death is, quite literally, the deadliest thing in life. Some restlessly attempt to evade death with intense angst and most are scared even to think of it. There is new life and resurrection, but not without passing through death. Jesus assured us of the resurrection but showed us that new life is possible only by embracing death. Death is intentionally designed by God into the very existence of human life. Death is not a useless and meaningless part of human life. Death can be the final and most meaning-making journey of human existence. Death, understood rightly, can prove to be a blessing for us. One blessing of death is that it overcomes even the most stubborn of all evils. 

Death is Stronger than Evil — Sadly, we have a largenumber of examples of individuals and even groups that were horrendously evil or were perhaps the incarnation of evil. The one thing that is consoling about death is that every person dies, good as well as evil. One can imagine the condition of this world if people like Adolf Hitler did not die. Often, our world suffers due to people who are extremely evil and take pleasure in devastating the lives of many, even of millions. People who think they are masters of death, God tells them, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you” (Lk. 12:20). Death comes and takes them into oblivion when they are still plotting genocides. Death becomes a blessing in such situations and reminds us that everything will decay including evil, no matter how strong and victorious evil seems. A life lived with the awareness of death and with the realization that one day we must encounter God face-to-face helps us to shun evil and engage in good.