Death Be Not Proud
A Holy Sonnet by John Donne
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
The season of Halloween is fast approaching, and there is one Catholic motto I absolutely love to reflect on during this time:
Memento Mori. Remember your death.
The motto is meant to be a reminder that death is inevitable, and it can come at any moment. This is not a scare tactic of the Catholic Church; it is a push to stay vigilant in the spiritual life. Any day we can come face to face to God, and we want to make sure that we are presenting the best version of ourselves to Him. In the same way we tidy our homes for guests, we are called to keep our hearts tidy for the Lord in anticipation of a reunion.
In this poem, John Donne speaks beautifully and directly to death, showing the reader that there is more joy to the passing of this life than one may realize. His opening line, death be not proud, echoes the words of Holy Scripture:
Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O Death is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting? (Corinthians 15: 54-55)
Jesus won eternal life for us, so death is no longer mighty and dreadful.
Our souls yearn for heaven so that, one short sleep past, we wake eternally.
We live with confidence in God’s infinite love, so death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
Memento Mori, my friends. Let us remember our joyful deaths!
Through Christ,
Steph Petters
Of Wood and Word Happenings
The team at Catholic Stories for Children is raising funds to release their next online animation, aimed to teach kids about the power and beauty of Confession. I have watched them work hard in preparation for the start of their crowdfunding campaign, and I’m so excited about this! If you’d like to see this project come to life, click here.
Yes! "We wake eternally"
Great post, Stephanie, for the upcoming holy days of All Saints and All Souls Days.
Last Lent I was blessed to complete Remember Your Death, Memento Mori (a Lenten devotional) by Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble. I highly recommend!
Amen 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼