Memento Mori

Painting by Edouard Vuillard

Memento mori means "remember that you must die" in Latin.  Some say it serves to remind us of our mortality, of our mistakes and failures, and of the inevitable transformation of life into death.  It that sense, it is quite a morbid reminder.

But I like to think that as much as it reminds us of our mortality, Memento mori can be a freeing and positive life transformation reminder.  Instead of living our lives without much thought  about death, we should remind ourselves frequently that this is the fate awaiting us all, young and old, rich or poor.  There is no greater certainty in life, no greater equalizer than that we will die.  The Bible tells us that it is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all humankind, and in this way, the living will take it to heart (Ecclesiastes 7:2).  If we allow ourselves to remember that death awaits us all, I think we who trust God would  live life more purposefully, with more compassion and humility, with greater generosity, and with less resentment toward the injustices of this world.

Memento mori, how then shall we live? 


Psalm 90:12, 17

¹² So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.
¹⁷ Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
    and establish the work of our hands upon us;
    yes, establish the work of our hands!

Luke 12:16-21
And [Jesus] told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Psalm 73:23-28

²³ Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you hold my right hand.
²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will receive me to glory.
²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷ For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
²⁸ But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works.

Hebrews 9:27-28
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. 

Psalm 37: 7-11

⁷ Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices!

⁸ Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.
⁹ For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.

¹⁰ In just a little while, the wicked will be no more;
    though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there.
¹¹ But the meek shall inherit the land
    and delight themselves in abundant peace.