© 2020 Victor R. Claveau
“The Dance of Death,” was a famous painting by Bernt Notke, which hung in the courthouse in Lubeck, Germany. The painting was destroyed during WWII, but Notke had made two versions of the painting and therefore in Tallinn, Estonia, one may still see one of the original works and read part of the original text.
The painting was 30 meters wide (98.4 ft.) and depicted the specter of Death as he skipped in and out of a procession of 24 people, calling the people to the dance, but most of them try to refuse him. There are people of all classes and ages, rich and poor, young and old, children, men and women, all dancing and laughing gaily. In their midst stalks Death, with a scythe, cutting down first this one, next that one. One victim is a small child, another an old man, here a youth, there a middle-aged woman. The dance goes on and the dancers take little or no notice of the specter of death in their midst.
Daily we see the Death Angel prowling among us, cutting down one after another. We do not know when, we do not know where, we do not know how, but we do know that he will come for each one of us. He is very democratic; he slights no one, or forgets anyone.
The only certain thing in life is that life will end. Death is certain; in reality, it is the only fact of life. It is not always a happy or cheerful thought. Nevertheless, we must face it bravely and intelligently. We talk of death, we think of death, not with the idea of frightening ourselves, not with any morbid idea of looking at something gloomy just for the sake of being gloomy. No, we face it, as we want to face all facts and realities. Knowing approximately, when we are going to die is a gift. We have, if needed, time to right our wrongs, to forgive those who have hurt us, to leave behind our memoirs, to tell our family and friends we love them, and most importantly to reconcile ourselves with God. We should periodically bring home to ourselves the vital, sobering, balancing thought that, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
The Catholic way of death is different from that of other “Christian” groups. We don’t try to sanitize or avoid the topic. We don’t speak in euphemisms about it. St. Augustine wrote, “If we celebrate birth, we should celebrate death.”
Our lives are not limited to the present. How terrible death must be to one who thinks that it ends all! As expressed in Judeo/Christian belief, death is the door to everlasting life and the prelude to the resurrection of the body. Belief in the resurrection gives meaning to life; it provides a sensible, reasonable view regarding death. So, let the dance of death go on, for we believers are ready.