Life And Death

Hi sunt viri misericordiae, quorum justitiae oblivionem non acceperant, etc. Natale, dilectissimi, colitur apostolorum Petri et Pauli: et satis congue dicitur mors talis natale, quae gignit ad vitam. Unde et nativitas, qua nati summus ad mortem, mors convenientius diceretur quam natale. Incipimus enim mori, quando nascimur; et vivere, quando morimur. Unde sicut vita ista dicitur mortalis, sic mors illa dici deberet vitalis. Quandiu ergo hic vivimus, morimur; et quando vita defungimur, simul et morte privamur. Odibilis vita, quae sine morte esse non potest; optabilis mors, quae vitae falsitatem terminat, et inchoat veritatem. Res mirabilis, vita mortem confert, mors vitam. Vita natalis est mortis, mors vitae. Sicut facula igne succensa, consumit, a quo consumpta est, ignem, sic vita ista ab initio morte succensa, ipsam tandem ab eadem consumpta consumit, vel sicut vapor ignis semel immissus stipulae, ipsam vorando semetipsum consumit, ita mors quae cum vita seminatur ac concipitur, ipsam necando, se quoque simul interimit. Vapor enim est vita praesens, et fumus ad modicum parens. Quae vero postea est vita, sola est, ac sine mortis consortio vita: under et vitalis in posterum existit. Haec est ergo mortalis, illa vitalis. Isaac, Cisterciensis Abbas, Sermo XLIX, In Natali Apostolorum Petri et Pauli Source: Migne PL 194.1856a

These were compassionate men, and their righteousness shall not be forgotten... 1 The birthday, beloved, of the Apostles Peter and Paul is revered, and enough it is to say here that such a birth is a death, which births to life. Whence even that birth by which we are born to death is more appropriately called a death than a birth. For we begin to die when we are born and to live when we die. Whence as this life is called mortal, so that death should be called life giving. While, therefore, we live here, we die; and when we have done with life, at once we are rid of death. Life is hateful when it lacks death; death is desirable when it ends the lie of life and introduces truth. It is a wonder that life confers death, death life. The living birth is death's, death is life's. As wood kindled by fire is consumed, and the fire by what it has consumed, so this life from its beginning is consumed by death, and likewise by that which death has consumed it is consumed; or as the smoke of fire is given off by straw, by that which is consumes it consumes itself. And so the death, which with life is sown and conceived, harming the same, at the same time destroys itself. For the smoke is the present life, and it appears just for a little while. However the life which is after is alone the life which is not bound to death, whence what is life-giving awaits after. This life, then, bears death, the other life. Isaac of Stella, from Sermon 49, On The Feast of the Apostles Peter And Paul 1 Sirach 44.10