The art of dying well is also the art of living well. By understanding who we are and what we are made for, we can order our lives and values according to God’s design for our true fulfillment. Knowing we will die someday allows us to live as prudent stewards of the time we’re given, and it grants us the ability to joyfully anticipate eternal life.
Each of Eternal Rest’s four 30-minute episodes addresses large-scale questions about death from a Catholic perspective. The series takes viewers on a journey from death’s origin to Christ’s final victory at the Cross and Resurrection.
The Story of Death
Where did death come from? What does death mean for the human person? Is it simply just part of life, or is it something else? In this first session, we discuss the story of death and God’s response to it: defeating death by dying and rising from the dead.
The Afterlife
What happens after the moment of our death? Once the soul has been separated from the body, then what? What is heaven, hell, and purgatory? What is the difference between the particular judgment and the general judgment? This session looks at the truth about what awaits the human person on the other side of death.
The Hour of Our Death
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is one of the seven sacraments of the Church. But whom exactly is this sacrament for? What are its effects? In this session, we discover the role of this sacramental anointing in the spiritual struggle during serious illness, in the final stages of our temporal life, and at the hour of our death.
The Faithful Departed
What is left for the living to do after someone dies? In this session, we talk about the final ways in which those still living on earth care for the body and soul of the dead. We discuss the work that remains for the living to do as we grieve for the deceased and as we turn to the work of preparing for our own death, and the hope in which we live and die as Christians.
This website provides short videos of experts answering common questions within several key categories:
Each clip addresses the question in full conformity to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
God's grace, provided primarily through his sacraments, gives us the strength and direction to navigate the pain and confusion of death. In his Passion, Death, and Resurrection, Jesus conquered death once and for all. Christ grants us new hope and the ability to declare with St. Paul: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Eternal Rest empowers individuals and families to live with the end in mind and begin practicing holy habits. We encourage the faithful to use Eternal Rest in small groups, bereavement support groups, or other parish-wide studies, whether in person or virtual. A variety of free print materials and resources are available on FORMED for parish leaders to help their community watch, discuss, and benefit from the film series.
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