“I love you life!” Was sung in a popular song of Soviet times. The overwhelming majority of modern people could subscribe to these words. However, many would clarify that they love their own life, their friends and relatives, just “good people” - but enemies and other “evil spirits” would be happy to “see in the grave”. The only exception could be made only by those to whom "life is not sweet" - up to the desire and readiness to forcibly end it. But society looks at such people with pity at best (and doctors are ready to quickly hospitalize in the "crisis" department of a psychiatric hospital) - and the Church, at least, according to popular belief, unequivocally condemns such an "unforgivable sin."
At the same time, the true attitude of the Christian doctrine to death is rather ambiguous. No wonder one unconventionally thinking theologian, a religious philosopher of the early 20th century, Vasily Rozanov, harshly criticized Christianity, referring it to the "religions of death" as opposed to the "religions of life." However, one of the main reasons for referring to this category, the specified author considered the attitude of this or that doctrine to - how to put it mildly? - "maximum satisfaction of sexuality", population reproduction and other things of this kind. The philosopher was outraged by the church recommendations of "abstinence" immediately after the wedding, before Communion, on the days of fasting - and other violations of "pansexualism", as a contemporary, critic and faithful friend of Rozanov called this worldview, the world-famous existentialist philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev. According to the latter,his friend died in peace with the Church, before his death he felt with all his soul the joy of the Resurrection …
However, if we put aside the “pansexual” criticism, the topic “Church and death” cannot be explained in a nutshell. On the one hand, the latter is recognized as evil. So, the Holy Scriptures directly say that “God did not create death” - it was actually created by man himself in the act of falling into sin and falling away from Eternal Life with God. The jubilant lines of the Epistle to the Corinthians of the Apostle Paul are also very unambiguous about this subject.
“As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will come to life … For He must reign until He puts all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death”(1 Cor. 15; 22-26).
The Church attaches great importance to improving life and fighting for it. Prayers and whole rites about health occupy a significant part of liturgical practice. Well, the remembrance of the miracles of Christ and His followers in the healing of the sick and even the resurrection of the dead especially impress those who listen to the Holy Scriptures and Lives.
At the same time, in church practice, one can notice another tendency stemming from the fact that after the Glorious Resurrection of Christ, the end of earthly life ceased to be a sad entrance into the darkness beyond the grave, as it was before this momentous moment. Now death is just a change in the way the human person exists, its temporary resolution from the body to the Universal Resurrection.
In fact, this is the fundamental difference between believers and non-believers. In the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Hebrews there is a curious phrase: “And as children are partakers of flesh and blood, Christ also accepted these, in order to deprive him of the power of the one who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and to deliver those who were subject to bondage”(Heb. 2: 14-15). Many holy fathers and modern theologians explain these words as follows: "We sin because we are afraid of death."
Indeed, if you think carefully, the reasons for many violations of God's commandments are precisely the fear of death, even if it is subconsciously irrational. For example, people who love to eat fill their stomachs, bringing themselves to obesity, and think that it is only because of their good appetite. But appetite here is just a pseudoprotective reaction of the body to a subconscious thought: “What if tomorrow is hunger? It is better to eat for the future while you can, otherwise you can die."
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The insatiable sexual instinct leading to promiscuity, fornication, adultery and other similar sins is based on the same fear: “What if I die and do not have time to leave descendants? Better to hurry - and try to make more of them, spit on morality."
And even the refusal to “turn the other cheek”, usually considered a sign of courage, can in fact be caused by subconscious cowardice: the same. No, I'd rather take my revenge on the offender stronger."
Yes, Christianity also speaks of the need for "mortal memory." Only the correct implementation of this recommendation leads believers to consequences opposite to the above examples. For a believer, death is a transition into Eternal Life, a new birth for her. Therefore, with the exception of the memory of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the prophet John the Baptist, all other church holidays are the days of the death of certain saints. And it is better for those who live to make this transition in a state of maximum conformity to God's love, and not to the laws of social Darwinism of the fallen world.
Therefore, if a truly believer should be afraid of something, then not death itself, but his unpreparedness for Eternal Life. However, the latter fears are often objectively exaggerated: the Lord, by His grace, takes the soul of a person at the moment of the highest readiness for this. Which, however, alas, still does not exclude insufficient readiness - which the Church and the relatives of the deceased are trying to compensate for with their prayers.
On the whole, believers often see death as not just a necessary stage, but even a desired outcome. The words of the apostle Paul in the letter to the Philippians are characteristic. “With my confidence and hope that I will not be ashamed in anything, but with all boldness, even now, as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If life in the flesh bears fruit for my work, then I do not know what to choose. I am attracted by both: I have a desire to be resolved and be with Christ, because this is incomparably better; but it is more necessary for you to remain in the flesh. And I truly know that I will stay and abide with you all for your success and joy in faith”(Phil. 1: 19-24).
This phrase, perhaps, contains the quintessence of Christian freedom in relation to death. One can strive for life with Christ, showing by this, among other things, a firm belief that beyond the grave of a person awaits not grave worms, but a much better earthly existence than full of sorrows. And you can stay, as long as God gives, and in the earthly body - primarily to help others. And thereby to show love not only for them, but also for God - who, as follows from the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, “abides in these little ones,” suffering, needy, grieving.
The only thing that is not shown to the Christian is obvious suicide, impudent self-discipline in the forcible termination of his life. After all, at each service at the Great Litany, the following words are pronounced: "The Christian deaths of our belly are painless, shameless, peaceful, and we ask you for a kind answer at the Last Judgment of Christ." Another thing is that for many, even those who regularly visit temples, this phrase flies into one ear and flies into the other. But after all, no one interferes (and even more so, does not forbid) to listen and say this prayer himself seriously.
And God himself will decide whether you are ready to meet with Him, and with a strong desire on the part of a person, he can even speed up this meeting. After all, alas, the combination of everyday sorrows and the absence of those who need your love can really make earthly life unbearable. No wonder even the holy righteous Job, when Satan, by God's permission, after all the calamities struck his body with leprosy, cursed his birthday. At the same time, however, continuing to bless God - and to believe in his goodness and power.
However, the Life Literature describes many examples that are formally similar to suicide, but nevertheless, not only did not interfere - but, on the contrary, became the reason for the martyrdom of many saints. For example, when Emperor Trajan built several large furnaces in the center of Rome, ordered them to be lit and mockingly suggested that local Christians not bother the police with searches, but throw themselves into the fire. And many believers in Christ, including Trajan's daughter Drosis, resolutely confirmed the sincerity of their faith by accepting the martyr's crown. There are many examples in the Lives of how Christian girls, in order to avoid reproach, either interrupted their lives themselves - or provoked their enemies to kill themselves - which also only contributed to their being ranked among the host of martyrs.
In conclusion of the conversation on such a delicate topic, it is necessary to clarify: every person has all the above-described "rights and obligations" in relation to death! In the sense that each person has the right to decide for himself. Of course, he has the right to pray for the extension of the life of a loved one, even if he himself asks for an early death - say, being in deep weakness or serious illness. But to decide that “death will be the best way out” for someone around in order to hasten this death is no longer Christian freedom, but savage murder.
In conclusion, we wish all our readers many years - in happiness and God's Love!
YURI NOSOVSKY