O SENTIDO CRISTÃO PARA O FENÔMENO DA MORTE: Um estudo a partir da obra “Escatologia: morte e vida eterna” de Joseph Ratzinger

In order to explain the finitude of life within the horizon of Christian religious experience, theology has developed a treatise called eschatology. This article aims to contribute to the eschatological reflection on death from a Christian perspective, with the help of the thought of Joseph Ratzinger, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. It is divided into three sections: 1- The problem of death in contemporary society: between denial and naturalization; 2- Indications of the view of death in Sacred Scripture; 3- The Christian meaning of death. Currently, according to Ratzinger, the idea remains among all sections of society, from believers to non-believers, that “death must come suddenly, without giving us time to think or suffer”, because naturalization has not had its intended effect: the end of fear in the face of the finitude of life. As a result, the idea emerged that this phenomenon of dying, not yet assumed and experienced as a necessary and uncontrollable fact, should be controlled with the help of scientific techniques, through methods such as euthanasia or assisted suicide. Thus, for modern Western man, death has become synonymous with failure, impotence and shame. They try to overcome it at any cost and, when this is not achieved, it is hidden and denied. Therefore, this article relays the essence of the Christian faith, the idea that human life is greater and more comprehensive than its biology, and that, after death, a new life is contemplated, one that is more perfect because it is eternal and imperishable.