Death is the end of man's earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When "the single course of our earthly life" is completed, we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once." There is no "reincarnation" after death. CCC 1013
The Catechism's reading today mostly provides an "In Brief" section on what has been covered in the past few days. In the part quoted above, it has always struck me how some people think that we will be born again and again until reaching "Nirvana". The idea is antithetical to Scripture (e.g. Heb 9:27). I can be nostalgic at times, missing good things that happened in my past, but even if reincarnation were true those memories still would never be repeated. No. St. Paul is right. We are given one lifetime by God and after death, we must give an account to Him for ourselves. As St. Teresa of Avila is quoted as saying, "I want to see God and, in order to see him, I must die" (CCC 1011). This doesn't mean that I have a cavalier attitude about life, it is a gift from God, but only that when the appointed time comes I yearn to be with Him.
The Catechism Companion, Vol II elaborates on this acceptance of and how we should prepare for our deaths:
The Church urges preparation for death through prayer, asking God's deliverance from hell and seeking the intercession of Mary and St. Joseph. St. Francis of Assisi praises God for bodily death, recognizing it as inevitable, but he warns against dying in mortal sin. He emphasizes the blessedness of being in God's grace... Preparing for a happy death involves reconciliation with God, living a life that praises him, and longing to be received by Jesus at the hour of death. (p. 40)
Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to see Fr. Thomas à Kempis' The Imitation of Christ quoted in the Catechism:
Every action of yours, every thought, should be those of one who expects to die before the day is out. Death would have no great terrors for you if you had a quiet conscience .... Then why not keep clear of sin instead of running away from death? If you aren't fit to face death today, it's very unlikely you will be tomorrow .... (CCC 1014)
This text has been a very edifying addition to my prayer life!
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