Death and the Birth of Christ

Last updated on: December 22, 2017 at 3:13 pm by Henry Karlson

Death and the Birth of Christ 2017-12-22T15:13:51-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Stoning of St. Stephen. Photograph of icon by ChristianeB (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

During the long celebration of Christ’s nativity, two important events are also commemorated. One is the death of the innocents killed by the order of Herod, and this led Christ to become a refugee hiding out in Egypt.[1] The other is the stoning of Saint Stephen, the proto-martyr.[2]

In this manner, the celebration of the birth of Christ coincides with the celebration and remembrance of death. This is as it should be, because it reminds us of the link between birth and death, as well as death with the new and eternal birth in Christ.

Everyone who is born will die. Death is intricately linked to birth. Indeed, it could be said that a cause of death is birth itself, because if someone had not been born, they would not die. Temporal life itself is life which is mixed with death, where we not only know that our temporal, earthly existence will one day come to an end, but also, in every moment, we are found dying and coming back to life, changing in and through such life in death, as St. Gregory Palamas contemplated:

Death was thus to become the lot of our forefathers, just as it lies in store for us who are now living, and our body was rendered mortal. Death is thus a kind of protracted process or, rather, there are myriads of deaths, one death succeeding the next until we reach the one final and long-enduring death. For we are born into corruption, and having once come into existence we are in a state of transciency until we cease from this constant passing away and coming to be. We are never truly the same, although we may appear to be so to those who do not observe us closely. Just as a flame that catches one end of a slender reed changes continually, and its existence is measured by the length of the reed, so we likewise are changing, and our measure is the length of life appointed to each of us.[3]

Temporal life is a living death; to be born is to be born unto death. The way we experience this condition can be said to be the result of sin, as St. Bonaventure explained. “Lastly, because man chose to be separated from the good of the mind on account of the good of the flesh, the soul is unwillingly separated by the just judgment of God from its body by death and dissolution into dust.” [4]

This living death of temporal existence is a curse, because it is founded upon and established as a consequence of sin, but also, it is a mercy. It is a curse, because now when we die, when we come to the end of our temporal existence, we lose our center of being, and our soul and body, which were meant to be together as one, find themselves separated through the division and destruction of nature which sin has handed over to it. Nonetheless, it is also a mercy, because it means there is a limit to what evil we can do, a limit to the sin and suffering we can cause for ourselves and others. The blessing also comes about because it is an opportunity for change, for spiritual purification, if we accept the transformative powers established in death by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

But, if we explore this deeper, then we shall see as St. Gregory Palamas explained: every moment of our life is itself transferred over to death, and partakes of and participates in the final death which comes at the end of our temporal existence, so that in each and every moment, the transformative powers of death are also to be found. That is in each and every moment of time, the graces Jesus made available to us by his death are able to be taken in by us, accepted by us, and through them we can find ourselves participating in the living death which is found in temporal existence, allowing us to partake of the purifying fire of death in our daily life and so be made holy in life itself.

Because we are living out death in our temporal life, we do not have to remain as we are, we can die to the self, die to all the imperfections, and let the dead self bury our dead sin with it as we emerge in new life, a life in which we do not have to let the taint of the past entomb us in the present. Our constant living death allows for change, change for the better, but we must always keep in mind there is one lingering final, eschatological, death which lies in wait for us. When we come to it, we will exit temporal existence and enter into eternity. This, we find, was a part of the message of St. Paul, as St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain understood it:

Remember, that according to the Apostle: “The form of this world is passing away, and those who deal with the world [live] as though they had no dealings with it” (1 Cor 7:31). Remember also, “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:18). For death comes and death is unknown. Judgment follows death and this judgment is quick. [5]

We can prepare for our temporal end by the way we engage our living death. We must prepare for it, knowing it is to come, so that in and through it we can emerge, resurrected unto eternal life with a glory that has no end.

Previous Post

December 21, 2016

Come To The Manger and Eat

Next Post

December 28, 2016 Open Up And Receive The Truth Which You Cannot Grasp

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz