The medicalization of dying, with its disregard for the vital importance of sacramental life for those who face imminent death, prompts the return of Ars moriendi, or The Art of Dying. This widely influential fifteenth-century text was designed to guide dying persons and their loved ones in Catholic religious practices at a time when access to priests and the sacraments was similarly limited. This remarkable and inspiring work, translated by Fr. Columba Thomas, OP, serves as a valuable resource for Catholics today, encouraging their full participation in the rich sacramental and liturgical tradition of the Church and challenging them to keep their eyes fixed on Christ and the promise of eternal life with him.
In this video, Columba Thomas, OP, MD, provides a detailed examination of the woodcut images in the Ars moriendi, explaining the text’s enduring significance as a valuable resource for encouraging Catholics’ full participation in the rich sacramental and liturgical tradition of the Church and for challenging them to keep their eyes fixed on Christ and the promise of eternal life with him.
You can purchase the book from The National Catholic Bioethics Center at www.ncbcenter.org/store/3cq8wz6tcf0uz5fib31tq0yv18kb3s