HE WHO DESIRES TO DIE WELL, MUST LIVE WELL

Lent Day 5 (2/26) The Art of Dying Well w/ St. Robert Bellarmine

CHAPTER I. HE WHO DESIRES TO DIE WELL, MUST LIVE WELL

“He who lives well, will die well," must be mentioned before all others: for since death is nothing more than the end of life, it is certain that all who live well to the end, die well; nor can he die ill, who hath never lived ill; as, on the other hand, he who hath never led a good life, cannot die a good death. The same thing is observable in many similar cases: for all that walk along the right path, are sure to arrive at the place of their destination; whilst, on the contrary, they who wander from it, will never arrive at their journey’s end. They also who diligently apply to study, will soon become learned doctors; but they who do not, will be ignorant.”

—Robert Bellarmine, The Art of Dying Well, Chapter I.

In chapter 1, Bellarmine’s advice seems simple enough at first sight, but it is not. Why? Because there are many examples of people who did not live a good life for most of their lives, but at some point, they turned to God’s grace and were transformed before they died. This is the radical message of Jesus that no matter how far a person falls into the abyss, God’s grace is still greater. “Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me!”

We have to be very careful with Bellarmine’s words to avoid some kind of ‘moralism Gospel.’ In other words, all the ‘nice’ people go to heaven. The false teaching or heresy of Pelagianism says that we can grow in goodness without God’s grace, while orthodox Christianity remains steadfast that all people need grace. Grace fuels good works and keeps a person on the right path with their cooperation or assent. Pelagianism was condemned at the 3rd Ecumenical Council at Ephesus in 431 AD, and this declaration is embraced by Catholics, Orthodox, and most Protestants today.

Bellarmine is not giving us a false Gospel (moralism without grace), but a general rule or proverb of what a life looks like under the influence of grace. In Bellarmine’s mind, people who ‘live well’ are those who live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His plan for their lives. Those who ‘die well’ are those who are ready to see their Lord and be welcomed by Him into His Kingdom. To them, our Lord will say “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). The golden thread in all of this is supernatural love (agape or charity). “Those who love God in this life will be welcomed into His love at death.”

In general, people who are absorbed with themselves tend to be the kind of people who rarely think about death. And if they do, they view death as simply the end of the story with no real accountability over their present lives. Bellarmine is really speaking to people who are deeply selfish and self-absorbed and delaying their salvation. He is warning them that this kind of life will not lead to a ‘happy, peaceful death,’ but rather one of surprise and terror. Delaying our salvation can also lead to an ultimate loss of salvation because sin hardens our hearts. This is exactly what happened with the Pharaoh of Egypt during the time of Moses and the Exodus (See Romans 9). Although salvation was offered to him, his sinful pride led to his final fall and destruction.

To conclude, Bellarmine believes that the art of preparing for death is the same as any art. If you want to be good at graphic arts, performing arts, or martial arts, then you have to practice these arts everyday. If you want to be good at the art of dying well, then you have to practice the art of living well, because a ‘good’ death isn’t actually death but eternal ‘living’!

Be entirely and always His,
Kyle