In Cordibus Jesu et Mariae: Remember, O Thou Man, ... Unto Dust Thou Shalt Return

Here's my next installment in the "Remember, O Thou Man" tag that The Grim Writer is hosting.

"Remember, man, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return."

We hear these words every year as the priest traces a cross of ash on our foreheads. But how often do we think of this reality or how well do we really understand it? How often do we pass by a cemetery without praying for the hundreds of souls buried there? Do we even stop to think of those mortal bodies buried beneath the earth returning to that which they came from? One day, we will come to that same reality. Our souls will leave our bodies which will be buried to decay. But our souls will not decay. They will go to be judged by their maker. And how will He judge us? Will He be sad that we took more care of our mortal bodies than our immortal souls? I hope not. This is why we must contemplate our end often so that we don't forget what awaits us.

It can be hard to contemplate our earthly end when we hardly know what death looks like. Sure we've seen it acted out in movies, on stage, and in novels but they're just that, acting. Have we actually seen death with our own eyes? In this day and age, it is more than easy to look the other way. Our elderly are placed in homes and out of our sight. How often do we visit the elderly, let alone, care for them? It is so important to visit the elderly often, and even more important, to care for them because when we have this beautiful fullness of life before our eyes, we can more easily picture ourselves there.

And do we assist the sick and the dying? It can be a very uncomfortable thing but I believe that is because we just aren't used to it; we aren't exposed to it enough. Again, it's not enough in dramatized movies with dramatic soundtracks and scenes that last but minutes. We need to be exposed to old age and death in real life.

"Remember, o man!"

To assist the dying with your prayers, presence, and physical care is a sure way of obtaining grace for yourself and for them. We must learn to sit in the uncomfortable silence, in the pain, and in the darkness. We must pray because someday soon, it will inevitably be our turn. We should pray now that we are blessed with those same favors of prayer, company, and assistance when it is our turn. No one goes to Heaven alone. He is brought there by the prayers of the saints, his friends, and his family. And he too will assist souls to Heaven both in his lifetime and in eternity.

Finally, to really be able to remember our death, we need to experience death and enter into it. Not only does the dying person need our prayers in their final days on earth, but once the soul has left the body. Then he most certainly needs our prayers and assistance, for he can no longer help himself. We must pray that Our Lady and all the saints and angels will accompany him on his journey to Heaven. We must pray that God has mercy on this soul and that He would take it very soon to be with Himself. We must enter into death by praying by the bedside of our departed loved one, by viewing the body and having before the eyes of our soul the image of Christ's body taken down from the cross, laid in His mother's arms, and placed in the stone-cold tomb.

We must bury the dead by attending the graveside service. It isn't always usual to remain at the graveside to see the casket lowered and the earth piled on top, but there is a beauty and completion as well as a little dying to self that takes place when the mourner sees the fulfillment of this prophecy,

"Remember, man, thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return."

Drop your flower into the grave, watch the dirt shoveled in on top, and let a part of yourself be buried in thought and prayer with your loved one. To contemplate the body, feet below the surface under the dark earth waiting for its Master to call it forth is a sobering thought. One day, we too will be buried in the earth from which our first parents were formed and the things of this earth won't matter in the slightest. So as this Lenten season comes to a close, let us not forget the admonition we received upon starting this journey.

"Remember!"