He too had nothing to fear from death; he was an old man, and he had gone above and beyond the call of duty. His death was a glorious triumph, a homecoming for a man of God whom I feel is destined for sainthood.
The shocking and the distasteful
These examples of the welcome acceptance of death are shocking to people my age, simply because they go against conventional wisdom.
The young do whatever they can to put off death; grinding their bodies to the bone in an attempt to outrun it, or simply refusing to accept its existence.
Even more distasteful to young people, however, are those who aspire to eternal youth after reaching the fullness of adulthood.
Haunted by the approach of an undefeatable enemy, they try to deny it. They refuse to accept the onward march of time, shuddering every time they see a wrinkle or grey hair in the mirror.
These outward signs of age are unbearable for them, and they fill their bodies with silicone and botox, or revert to hair tonics and atrocious wigs.
There are few things as pitiful as an adult pretending to be a teenager, with all the drinks, drugs, and lust that entails.
For those without Faith, death is an unknown quantity, something they cannot control or bring to heel.
It is a sign that they are human, and subject to a greater power than themselves.
One of the most delightfully morbid religions in the world
Even in Holy Mother Church, we can see that the cultural fear of death has taken root.
The Four Last Things are forgotten. The part of the Creed where we acknowledge that Christ will come to judge the living and the dead is passed over without a thought.
Some might say that the increasingly tacky gaudiness of funerals, with their emphasis on the deceased’s life and personality and the Resurrection, are signs that we do not fear Death enough.
I disagree.
REGINA | 60