Sgrios Mass: A Reflection on the Positives of Death

 

Today we come together not only to mourn, but to reflect - to pause, to look inward, and to acknowledge one of the most universal experiences of life: death.

Death has always walked beside life, not as an enemy, but as a teacher. It teaches us that every moment is part of a larger story - one that none of us escapes, and yet all of us share. It reminds us that to live is not to grasp, but to let go - again and again. In facing death, we are called to a deeper awareness of life’s meaning and its fragile, chaotic nature.

Though death marks a departure, it is not merely an end. It is a return - a release from pain, a letting go of burdens and uncertainties that define so much of our existence, and a quiet transition into stillness. For some, it may be a homecoming; for others, ascension towards greatness.

In every case, death reminds us that life was never meant to go on forever - and that its finiteness gives it shape, depth and meaning. In accepting death, we also begin to understand the value of what came before it. Death is not only inevitable - it is necessary. Without it, there would be no shape to a life, no arc, no resolution. Just as silence gives meaning to sound, just as the horizon defines the landscape, death gives form to our days.

And perhaps, in a quiet and mysterious way, death is also a gift. It brings rest after a long journey, a return to the natural order that holds us all. It connects us back to the elements, to the stars, to the vast cycles that existed long before us and will continue long after. There is something deeply humbling in that - and also something peaceful. Just as day turns to night, just as seasons change, so too do we return to where we came from.

Let us then not carry death only with grief, but with perspective. Let it remind us to live with awareness, to seek meaning rather than distraction, and to treat each moment as part of a larger whole. Let us remember those who have passed not only with sorrow, but with quiet gratitude - for their presence, for their impact, and for the reminder that even in absence, something of them remains with us. Let us remember those who have passed not as lost, but as complete - their story written, their presence now woven into the larger fabric of time. And may we, in our own time, walk forward with the understanding that it is precisely because life ends that it matters so deeply.

 

~Korpse