A Treasury of Comfort

Notwithstanding these dramatic forward strides, death will not be denied. It will only be deferred. Each of us has an appointment with sorrow, "a rendezvous with death." None can hope for exemption from death's inexorable laws nor from the poignant sadness of parting from loved ones.

Despite its inevitability, the death of a dear one is often a deeply disturbing emotional experience. We are rarely, if ever, quite prepared for it. We read daily of the death of strangers, from time to time we hear of the passing of acquaintances. Our passion for life, however, is so strong that we cannot truly assimilate the thought that those we love are also heir to the common fate which awaits all with severe impartiality.

This is especially true when death comes to a child or to a young parent. The impact of such tragedy always finds us in a state of total emotional unpreparedness. The shock is compounded by its maddening untimeliness, by the bitter realization that there were so many unlived years of love and laughter, adventure and hope. We who live during these turbulent days of international strife must reckon seriously with the grievous prospect of countless young lives prematurely cut down by "man's inhumanity to man."

A Treasury of Comfort is a book which can bring strength and solace to mourners, although it's value is not restricted to the hour of bereavement. Realistically speaking, we are all potential mourners. The time to develop a mature philosophy toward death is before, not after, it strikes. The need for a sustaining outlook upon death and a reasonable knowledge of how to handle our grief is one which we shall all almost certainly experience. Moreover, we are frequently involved in the sorrows of others, and our own spiritual resources and insights can be of distinctive service. It is therefore of crucial significance that we develop a mature understanding of death, a courageous acceptance of life, a triumphant faith by which to live with dignity and die without fear.