The Importance of Remembering Death in a World That Forgets It

Brothers: it is later than you think. Hasten, therefore, to do the work of God. – Father Seraphim Rose

 The King of England has cancer. The highest earthly title of authority, it turns out, can’t postpone one’s final destination. Not even a jeweled crown of solid gold can shelter someone from eternity. A sobering reality, to be sure, but also a reminder that all men are equal, not necessarily in the circumstances of life, but certainly in the matter of death.

“Pamyat smertnaya” in Russian and “mnimi thanatou” in Greek, the remembrance of death is a core concept in Orthodox practice. It has been held in patristic tradition as an essential part of Orthodox life, as we believe that we actively prepare for and participate in eternity here and now.