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Seven brothers were arrested, tortured, scourged, and killed because they would not compromise their faith (2 Mc 7:1ff). These heroic deaths have inspired and transformed the lives of many for centuries. We are all going to die, unless Jesus comes back first. The question is not: "Will I die?" but "How will I die?" Will my death be a mere statistic? Or will I glorify God by my manner of death? (Jn 21:19) Most people think a happy death means dying at an old age and with no pain. God's word says a happy death has nothing to do with age or pain but it has everything to do with love, even to death on the cross (Phil 2:8). "The way we came to understand love was that He laid down His life for us; we too must lay down our lives for our brothers" and sisters (1 Jn 3:16). "Happy now are the dead who die in the Lord!" (Rv 14:13) |
