A renowned Catholic Priest, Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, Executive Director, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation has described death as an inescapable and irreversible appointment, applicable to all people. According to the accomplished theologian, death is an unchangeable and unavoidable part of the human experience. He made this assertion at the Lux Terra Chapel, Apo, Abuja, penultimate Wednesday at the vigil Mass for his late mother, Mama Catherine Ehusani.
Fr. Ehusani while delivering the homily explored the inevitability of death, the mystery of human suffering, and the Christian hope of resurrection. Drawing from Ecclesiastes 3:2, he reminded the congregation that “There is a time to be born and a time to die”, emphasising that every human being has an unchangeable appointment with death. In his words, “All of us who are alive today have an appointment with death, on a day we do not know, and in a manner, we cannot negotiate. Human beings are perhaps the only life-form that are afflicted with the distressful fore-knowledge that they will die.”
Reflecting on his mother’s 101-year journey, the cleric expressed gratitude for the time she spent with her family and acknowledged the pain of watching her gradually diminish in health. He recalled, “My siblings and I went through this experience with Mama, particularly in the last one year, when we watched helplessly, as our once beautiful, elegant and energetic mother, diminishing progressively. “Yes, in the last few years, we watched helplessly as the various parts of Mama’s stunningly gorgeous bodily endowments expire installmentally. “All I could do on my part was to constantly console myself with the words of the wise man Qoheleth, namely, “Vanity of vanities, the preacher says, all is vanity.” Fr. Ehusani painted a vivid picture of human mortality, describing how death spares no one, whether rich or poor, powerful or weak.
He stressed, “We all have a destiny beyond this world and beyond our individual lives, is a central teaching of all major religions, and no one can really be called a Christian if he does not believe in the resurrection of the dead. “No matter what you acquire in life; no matter how happy you have been in life; even if you conquer the whole world… you know that you are going to lose all in death. Death doesn’t give a damn who you are.” Unlike other living beings, he noted, humans suffer from “the distressful foreknowledge of their inevitable death”, often resisting it even though they know it cannot be avoided. “We have sometimes watched persons dragged out of this world kicking and screaming, and in some cases, even cursing,” he said.
“But for us Christians, death should not be a distressful and torturous enterprise, because we are a people of the resurrection.” Mirroring his mother’s final years of suffering, Fr. Ehusani described how she faced her trials with gratitude and faith, often responding to inquiries about her condition with the simple words: “I am fine. I thank God.” This, he said, was a powerful lesson in accepting suffering with grace and trust in God. He emphasised that Christianity does not promise a life free from suffering, but rather transforms suffering into a path toward spiritual growth. “The Cross of Christ forces open a door at the heart of pain – a door that leads to a new kind of life,” he explained, referencing John 12:24: “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a single grain, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Urging the congregation to confront their own mortality, Fr. Ehusani highlighted how Christian spirituality should lead the faithful to accept death with both awe and surrender, rather than fear and resistance.
He cited Matthew 11:28-30, in which Jesus calls on those who are weary to find rest in Him. “True Christian spirituality should teach us that we are not here to win. Instead, we are here to be defeated by greater and greater powers,” he stated, referencing St. Paul’s boast in divine surrender. He further reminded attendees of the Ash Wednesday message: “Remember man, that dust you are, and unto dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19), highlighting that the death of loved ones serves as a divine whisper to prepare for one’s own transition. Fr. Ehusani further reassured mourners that death is not the end but rather a transition to eternal life with God.
He quoted John 11:25-26, in which Jesus declares: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die.” Reflecting on 1 Corinthians 15:19, he reinforced that Christian hope rests in the resurrection, reminding the lay faithful that without it, their faith would be meaningless. “If our hope in Christ were for this world alone, then of all peoples, we are to be most pitied.” As the vigil Mass wind up, Fr. Ehusani left mourners with a message of reflection and readiness, urging them to live daily with the consciousness of God’s ultimate plan. “Mama’s light has not been extinguished,” he concluded. “Her lamp has been put out, for the dawn has come.”
