O Death

By: Ivonne J. Hernandez

I find it interesting that our society seems to be fixated on certain aspects of death, like zombies, haunted houses, and Halloween. People pay a lot of money to go somewhere and be “scared to death.” But then, when it is time to talk about preparing for our own death, people think it is morbid and turn quickly to avoidance. How often do we think about death? A few times a year? A few times a month? A few times a week? Every day? And when we do think about death, what do we think? How do we feel? Is there curiosity, anger, fear, sadness? Is there avoidance or resignation? Is there ever a welcome?

“Death was not part of nature; It became part of nature. God did not decree death from the beginning; He prescribed it as a remedy. Human life was condemned because of sin to unremitting labor and unbearable sorrow and so began to experience the burden of wretchedness. There had to be a limit to its evils; Death had to restore what life had forfeited. Without the assistance of grace, immortality is more of a burden than a blessing.”

​(Saint Ambrose, From a book on the death of his brother Satyrus)

This is a short excerpt from the Office of Readings for All Souls Day, a day we think about our dearly departed, a day we think about death. Or perhaps I should say, a day the Church invites us to think about death. And not only to think about it but to pray about it. When we remember our loved ones who have passed from this life and pray for their eternal rest, we also strengthen the hope that we too will rise again with Christ, not only on the last day but also today, as we rise from our pain and our fears. 

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
​(1 Corinthians 15:55)

I have discovered that the more I bring my fears to prayer, the more they lose their grip on me. Losing my father at the young age of nine, the reality of the separation we experience when a loved one dies was too much for me to deal with at the time. For many years I avoided looking at that wound. I became an expert at distraction and escape, but God had a different plan. The very wound that made me feel abandoned, became a source of love and grace.

“Brothers and sisters: Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
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This love that was poured out on the Cross is in the cup He gives us to drink (cf. Mark 10:38). When we accept the pain and suffering that life brings, and bring it in prayer to God, we find the love that casts out all fear (cf. 1 John 4:18). And it is that love that will transform our wounds into rivers of flowing grace, into witnesses of His love.

“Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord, and, as our faith in your Son, raised from the dead is deepened, so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants also find new strength.”

(Collect Prayer for All Souls Day)

Ivonne J. Hernandez

Ivonne is a Catholic wife, mother, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, and President of Elisheba House. She is also a speaker and writer, with her book The Rosary: Eucharistic Meditations to her name. Ivonne regularly contributes to CatholicMom.com and the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflection. Her writing has also appeared in publications such as Emmanuel Publishing and Shalom Magazine. Alongside her husband, Rick Hernandez, she coordinates the RCIA program at their home parish. A lover of choral music, Ivonne is a member of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. She and her husband live in Trinity, FL, with two of their young adult sons.