Of the Conformity We Should Have to the Will of God in Death as in Life

WE must also be conformable to the will of God as well for death as for life. And, though this dying is of itself a very difficult thing because, as the philosopher Aristotle says: ‘Death is the most fearful thing of all,” yet in the case of religious this difficulty is in great part smoothed down and taken away, since we are already half-way on our journey to it, and in a manner the whole way. As for the first point, one of the reasons why dying is apt to be a difficult thing to the people in the world, and the approach of that hour gives them pain, is because they are leaving riches, honors, pleasures, amusements, and comforts that they had in this life, as also friends and relations, and in one case a man is leaving his wife, in another his children, who are apt to give great anxiety at that hour, especially when they are left ill-provided for. All this the religious has already left in time, and so it gives him no pain or grief.

When a back tooth is already clear of flesh and loosened from the gums, it is easily drawn; but, if you go about to draw it without loosening it from the flesh, it is apt to cause you much pain. So the religious who is already loosened from the flesh and detached from all those things of the world, is not pained at the hour of death at leaving them, because he has left them already of his own will and with great merit when he entered religion, and not waited for the hour of death to leave them, as those in the world do, when they are forced to leave them although they have no mind so to do, and leave them with great grief and pain and often without any merit at all because it is rather the things that leave the owners than the owners the things. And this is one of the fruits, among many others, of leaving the world and entering religion. St. Chrysostom well observes that they who are in the world, wedded to their property, to the amusements and comforts of this life, find death very painful, according to the saying of the Wise Man: O death, how bitter is thy memory to the man that hath peace in his riches! (Ecclus. xli. 1). Even the memory of death is very bitter; what shall be the presence of it! If the thought is bitter, what shall be the taste! But to the religious, who has already left all these things, death is not bitter, but rather very joyful and comfortable, as being the end of all his labors, and an assurance that he is going to receive the recompense and reward of all that he has left for God.

Another chief thing that usually gives pain to people in the world and makes death to them frightful and horrible, as St. Ambrose says, is their bad conscience and want of due dispositions. This again should find no room in the religious, for all his life has been one continual preparation and disposing of himself to die well. It is told of one holy religious how, when the doctor told him to prepare for death, he answered: “Ever since I took the habit, I have done nothing but to prepare for it.” This is the daily exercise of the religious. And the state of religion itself is an instruction to us in the disposition which Christ our Redeemer wishes should be ours at His coming. Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands (Luke xii. 35). St. Gregory says that the girding of the loins denotes chastity, and the lamps burning in the hands denote the practice of good works; which two things do mainly shine forth in the state of religion. And so the good religious has nothing to fear in death. And here may be noted a thing that will aid much to our purpose—we have touched upon it above (Treatise II, Chapter 5) —that one of the best signs of having a good conscience and standing well with God, is being well conformed to the divine will in all that regards the hour of death, and looking forward to it with great gladness, as the spouse looks forward to celebrating with her Beloved her heavenly nuptials and espousals. And, contrariwise, it is not a good sign to make a trouble over death and not be in this state of conformity.

There are some good comparisons usually brought to explain this. See you not with what peace and quietness the sheep goes to the butchery, without once bleating or making any resistance, which is the example that Holy Scripture brings of Christ our Redeemer? He was led like a sheep to the slaughter (Isaias liii. 7). But the unclean animal, what grunting it sets up and what resistance when they want to kill it! This, then, is the difference between good people, who are represented by the sheep, and evil and carnal people, who are represented by those other animals. The felon under sentence of death, every time he hears the prison door open is saddened, thinking that they mean now to take him out and hang him; but the innocent man, who is marked for discharge, every time he hears the prison opened, rejoices, thinking that they are coming to give him his liberty. So the wicked man, when he hears the passing-bell ring or when sickness holds him in its grip, is very afraid and downcast because, being consciencestricken, he fancies it is to cast him into the infernal bonfire for ever and ever. Let us, then, do what we ought to do as good religious, and not only shall we feel no difficulty in conforming ourselves to the will of God at the hour of death, but we shall rejoice and pray to God with the prophet to draw us out of this prison. Draw out my soul from prison (Psalm exli. 8). St. Gregory on that text of Job: Thou shalt not fear the beasts of the earth (Job v. 22), says: “The feeling of this gladness and of this peace and ease of conscience at the hour of death is the beginning of the recompense of the righteous.” Now they are beginning to enjoy one little drop of that peace which as a river in flood will soon enter their souls; they are beginning now to feel their eternal blessedness. On the contrary, the wicked are beginning to experience their torment and their hell in that fear and remorse which comes upon them at that hour.

Thus to desire death and rejoice in the thought of it is avery good sign. St. John Climacus says: “He is much to be praised who every day looks for death; but he is a saint who desires it every hour.” So we see that those holy ancient patriarchs nourished this desire, confessing that they are strangers and pilgrims upon earth (Heb. xi. 13), not resident proprietors; which is well noted by St. Paul: They who say this, signify that they are looking for home and country (Heb. xi. 14), as being in exile here. And so the Royal Prophet sighed: Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged (Psalm cxix. 5). And if those ancient Fathers said and desired this while the gate of heaven was closed and they could not go straight there, what should our desire be now that the gate is open, and as soon as the soul is purified it passes straight to the enjoyment of God!