From ancient times and in all cultures, death has been a critical theme of philosophies and religions. Why did people of old have to reflect on death so much? It is because they felt death so near to them. About a century ago, Canada’s infant mortality rate was well over 10%, at least 13%. Some cities in the US had an infant mortality rate close to 30% around the same era. Imagine one out of ten children dies before reaching one year old. For families with more than five children were very common before the 1950s, the infant mortality rates of over 10% mean that people saw infant death almost in every other family in Canada. Not only infant mortalities were high in previous generations. Due to many epidemics, frequent famines, wars and unhealthy labour environments, death was always around people.
Probably you have heard the phrase, ‘memento mori’. It translates, ‘Remember that you die.’ This famous Latin expression reminds us that we are mere mortals. We all die. Death is inevitable. Not only the inevitability of death, but this phrase also reminds us of the proximity of death. Death might sound so distant to young people. But death is so near to us. We may die at any time. Just about a year ago, more than 2.7 million people in the world did not have any idea that they would die from COVID-19. Until then, the virus was not yet even identified. But within a year, more than a half-million Americans and over 22,000 Canadians lost their lives.
The inevitability and proximity of death made people wise. In the words, life should not be taken for granted. From the time of old, great teachers of humanity emphasized how to live life meaningfully and spend our life on important values.
Today, however, we hear Jesus tell us to hate our life. ‘Memento mori’ implies the irresistible power of death. We are helpless before the invincible power of death. But Jesus teaches how to defeat the power of death. He gives the parable of the grain of wheat. The death of grain brings fruit. Then, is Jesus promoting death? No. What he promotes is the life that can defeat death. That life is a life of sacrifice. And Jesus chooses that life of sacrifice by accepting his crucifixion.
Even if we try to maximize the meaning of life by enjoying every moment to our hearts’ content, we cannot but feel helpless before the grim facts of the inevitability and proximity of death. Even if you become one of the richest, most famous, and most influential people in the world, you can bring not even a cent with your death. And you do not know where you are going or even whether you will exist after death.
The life of sacrifice Jesus teaches becomes meaningful only with the knowledge of the afterlife. We cannot derive this knowledge from any human experiences or theories because all we have are from the living. No dead people can teach us. Only the one who oversees life and death can reveal that knowledge. And it is Christ Jesus, the Son of God, the Revelation of God.
