Francis Gonsalves

“Carlette has passed away.” With this short sentence I was informed about the sudden death of my sister-in-law on September 27. Carlette was 36 years old and in perfect health when she died of a massive cardiac arrest. Ever since, my sorrowing brother, John, and his kids Prerna (10) and Varun (6) strive to cope with this untimely loss. How does faith help?
November 2 is celebrated as All Souls’ Day, when the dead are commemorated and commended anew into God’s loving embrace. Believers pray for their deceased kith and kin and light candles at their graves. This tokenism does not detract from the core Christian belief that God will raise up those who’ve lived good lives. Saint Paul writes: “Eyes have not seen nor ears have heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Death, undoubtedly, is terrible. Beauty, power and property overcome all obstacles. Except death. Death smites princesses and presidents, and swallows newborns and newly-weds, leaving us irreparably heartbroken. In his Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, Thomas Gray wisely wrote: “The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power; And all that beauty, all that wealth e’er gave; Awaits alike the inevitable hour; The paths of glory lead but to the grave”.
In the Near Eastern world in which the Bible originated, death was called the “land of no return”. Canaanite myths picture death as a God who greedily and continually demands human flesh to devour. Hinduism portrays Yama as the deity of death.
The Bible personifies death as a hungry (Isaiah 5:14; Habakkuk 2:5) and crafty enemy that ensnares victims (Psalm 18:4-5) and sneaks through windows to devour children (Jeremiah 9:21). The Book of Ecclesiastes has striking images of death: “The silver cord is snapped, the golden bowl is broken... dust returns to the earth, and our breath returns to God” (12:1-8). There are similar ideas in the Brihadaranyaka (5.15.3a) and Isavasya Upanishad (17): “Let (my) vital air (prana) now attain the immortal air (all-pervading self); then let this body be reduced to ashes”.
Mindful of the transience of life, sagacious sants and sadhvis were detached from trifles and devoted to that which lasts. Gautama Buddha, for instance, saw awareness, compassion and detachment as essential to attaining nirvana. Hinduism upholds jivanmukti as an ideal. Lord Krishna promises through Gita (18:66): “Aham tva sarvapapebhyo moksayisyami: ma sucah”, meaning, “I will deliver you from all evils: sorrow not!”
The Bible portrays God as a God of Life. Death came into the world through human sinfulness (Genesis 2:17; 3:19; Psalm 90:3-11; Romans 5:12-21), yet death remains under God’s authority. Death can serve as God’s instrument of judgment against sinful people (Hosea 13:14), but one which can be reversed to show God’s life-giving power as in the resuscitation of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37).
The biblical promise that “God will swallow up death forever and wipe away the tears from all faces” (Isaiah 25:7-8) seems to find fulfilment in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus raises a little child (Mark 5:35-43), a widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17) and his friend, Lazarus, to new life (John 11:1-44). But his own sacrificial death ultimately becomes the stepping stone to life. Jesus frequently predicted that he would die (Mark 8:31-38; 9:30-32; 10:32-34). Yet, each of these predictions was backed with an “I will rise again” promise. Jesus’ death fructified in the resurrection because it was a selfless sacrifice at the altar of love and truth.
Christians believe that Jesus’ resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all (1 Corinthians 15:12-28). Death is a defeated foe (2 Timothy 1:10) that can never separate people from God’s love (Romans 8:38-39). Love, ultimately, is the key that opens the doors of heaven: “Love never ends... the greatest is love” (1 Corinthians 13:8-13).
After her mother’s burial, I asked my little niece, Prerna: “Do you know that mummy’s gone to God and you’ll not see her anymore?” Tearfully, she whispered: “Yes”. I added, “Yet, mummy’s with us, too”. Unhesitatingly Prerna replied, “I know that also”. Later that evening, when I saw her for the first time feeding Varun, her kid-brother, I knew that life had changed, not ended. Indeed, even amidst tears believers can say: “O death, where is your victory? Where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55), for, love and life never die. They only change.

— Francis Gonsalves is the principal of the Vidyajyoti College of Theology, Delhi. He is involved in interfaith dialogue and peoples’ initiatives for fostering justice, harmony and peace. He can be
contacted at fragons@gmail.com