Romans 8:1-11 / Luke 13:1-9
To die a peaceful death is indeed a great blessing from God.
And to be surrounded by close family members and to have received the Last Rites and Viaticum would be something that is deemed as a perfect end to life on earth.
And a happy, peaceful and blessed death is one of the petitions that are found in most devotional prayers.
Yes, we do pray for a peaceful and blessed death, and if God willing, without pain or suffering.
But when we hear of a sudden tragic death, or a life that was ended by some kind of disease, or an untimely death, we may wonder if it was some kind of punishment.
In the gospel, some people told Jesus about the deaths of some Galileans, who were probably tortured and executed, going by what Pilate did with their blood.
Jesus in turn recalled the eighteen lives that were lost when the tower at Siloam fell on them.
Jesus also made it clear that those who lost their lives tragically were not more sinful than the rest of the other people.
In fact, those who lost their lives through persecution, those martyrs who witnessed their faith with their lives, are blessed by God.
Whichever the case may be, whether tragic death or peaceful death, let us through our repentance be prepared to face death.
It is a great blessing from God to know that death is the passage to the eternal life with God.