The Natural Death

Mors naturae horrenda est malis, optanda iustis, praecavenda cunctis. Est horrenda malis, quia ipsos, spoliat; Eccliesiasti undecimo Est qui locupletatur parce agendo etc; et sequitur: Et nescit, quod tempus praetereat, et mors appropinquet, et reiinquat omnia aliis et moriatur; lob vigesimo septimo: Cum dives dormierit, nihil secum auferet; Psalmus: Cum interierit non sumet omnia. Item, quia eos cruciat; Ecclesiastici quadragesimo primo: O mors , quam amara est memoria tua homini iniusto et pacem habenti in substantiis suis! Si amara est memoria, multo magis praesentia; Lucae decimo sexto : Mortuus est dives et sepultus est in inferno. Item, quia eos annihilat ; lob decimo quarto: Homo, cum fuerit mortuus et nudatus atque consumtus , ubi, quaeso , est? quasi dicat : nusquam est. Psalmus: Transivi , et ecce, non erat. Mors ista est optanda iustis , quia illos ditat; lob tertio: Exspectant mortem, et non venit, quasi effodientes thesaurum, gaudentque vehementer, cum invenerint sepulcrum; unde de iusto dicitur lob quinto: Ingredieris in abundantia sepulcrum; ad Philippenses primo: Mihi vivere Christus est, ait Aposlolus, et mori lucrum. Item, quia illos quietat; Apocalypsis decimo quarto: Beati, qui in Domino moriuntur. Amodo iam dicit Spiritus, ut requiescant a laboribus suis. Item, quia iilos exaltat; Lucae decimo sexto: Factum est, ut moreretur mendicus et deportaretur ab Angelis in sinum Abrahae. Sanctus Bonaventura, Collationes In Evangelium Ioannem, Caput XI,  Source: Here, p588

The natural death is horrible for evil men and desired by the righteous, and must be considered carefully by everyone. It is horrible to the wicked because it strips them. In the eleventh chapter of Ecclesiasticus, 'There is one who is enriched by living sparingly,' and then 'he knows not that time passes and death nears and he shall leave everything to others and die.' In the twenty seventh chapter of Job, 'When the rich man sleeps he takes nothing with him.' In the Psalm, 'When he dies he does not take anything.' 1 Likewise it torments them. In the forty first chapter of Ecclesiasticus, 'O death, how bitter is the thought of you to the unrighteous man and he who is at peace with his possessions.' And if the thought is bitter so much more the presence. In the sixteenth chapter of Luke, 'The rich man died and was buried in hell.' 2 Likewise it annihilates them. In the fourteenth chapter of Job, 'A man when he dies is naked and consumed. Where, I ask, is he?' As if he said, 'Nowhere.' In the Psalm, 'I passed by, and, behold, he was not.' 3 This death is desired by the righteous, because it enriches them. In the third chapter of Job, 'They hope for death and it does not come, like those who dig for treasure, and they rejoice exceedingly when they find the grave.' Hence it is said of the righteous man in the fifth chapter of Job, 'You shall enter into the grave in abundance.' And in the first chapter of Philippians the Apostle says, 'For me to live is Christ and to die is profit.' 4 Likewise it gives them rest. In the fourteenth chapter of the Apocalypse, 'Blessed are they who die in the Lord. 'Now,' says the Spirit, 'they shall rest from their labours.' Likewise it exalts them, in the sixteenth chapter of Luke, 'So it was that the beggar died and he was borne off by angels to the lap of Abraham.' 5 Saint Bonaventura, Observations On The Gospel Of Saint John, Chapter 11 1 Sirach 11.18-20, Job 27.19, Ps 48.18 2 Sirach 41.1 Lk 16.22 3 Job 14.10, Ps 36.36 4 Job 3.21, Job 5.26, Phil 1.21 5 Apoc 14.13, Lk 16.22