October 28 – Living and Dying in Hope
Do not fear your own death, for when that moment comes, I will draw in my breath and you will come to me as a needle to a magnet. Mechthild of Magdeburg
Gregg’s Reflection
As I grow older, the awareness of death does not feel like dread but like an invitation. Paul’s words echo in my soul: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Life in Christ gives meaning to every step of the journey, and death becomes its completion—the moment we are gathered into God’s fullness. What once seemed like an end is revealed as a passage into love.
James Finley describes ripening in God as a paradox. God does not shield us from suffering, but sustains us through it with a hidden sweetness. When fruit is ripe, even the slightest wind causes it to fall, and so it is with us at the end. Our final breath is not defeat, but a “windfall of delight” that carries us forever into the depthless depths of God.
Cynthia Bourgeault writes that we are not here to live forever but to die well—with courage, dignity, and trust. That vision reshapes the way I hope to live each day. If my death can be marked not by fear, but by the release of love, then it will be the crowning act of a life lived in Christ.
And Mechthild of Magdeburg offers this tender reassurance: God says, “Do not fear your own death, for when that moment comes, I will draw in my breath and you will come to me.” Death, then, is not abandonment but reunion. It is the final homecoming, the embrace we have longed for all along.
Scripture
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21
Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
Romans 14:8
Ancient Quotes
Do not fear your own death, for when that moment comes, I will draw in my breath and you will come to me as a needle to a magnet.
Mechthild of Magdeburg, The Flowing Light of the Godhead, Bk VII, ch. 13
Modern Quotes
We are not here to live forever but to die well, releasing to the atmosphere courage, dignity and trust. Whenever we are able to move beyond the laws of the purely physical while still in form, we set aflame the names of God, releasing the energy and beauty of divine aliveness to the outer world.
Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing, p. 56
As a person ripens in unsayable intimacy to God, they ripen in a paradoxical way. They understand God as a presence that protects us from nothing, even as God sustains us in all things. … The slightest wind can cause ripe fruit to fall, and so too our last breath sends us falling forever into the depthless depths of God.
James Finley, quoted in Richard Rohr, A Spring Within, p. 173–174
Journaling Prompts
- How does the hope of resurrection change the way you think about death?
- What would it mean for you to “die well”—with courage, dignity, and trust?
- In what ways can you live now so that your dying becomes a witness of hope and love?
- How does the image of God drawing you in “as a needle to a magnet” bring you comfort?
When suffering, wade into the Welcoming Prayer, which guides you through three main movements. Focus-Begin by moving your attention to your body. Welcome-Gently say, “Welcome, welcome, welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment because I know it is for my healing.” Let Go-When you sense a release or softening, practice letting go.” Mary Mrozowski
Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 43 Reflection: Suffering/ Death & Dying