Cedric Pisegna - The Death Experience

Hi, I’m Father Cedric, the host of «Live with Passion». So glad that you’ve found the program. Many of you tune in each week, really appreciate that. Love coming into your homes. Special program, I’m going to talk about the death experience. This comes from Hebrews chapter 9: «It is appointed for people to die once, then comes the judgment. So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him».

Death has been in the news all over the place lately. All you have to do is pick up a newspaper, or go on the internet, or watch television, and as you know, there’s been a pandemic going on for a couple years, and we’ve seen all kinds of people dying. Maybe somebody you know, maybe a relative of yours. Some 4.5 million people have died of COVID, wow. We are seeing it everywhere. You watch a movie, you see death. There are accidents, there are hurricanes, there are natural disasters. Death is everywhere, including when you get older. It’s a natural occurrence, we are all going to die. There’s two things that we can be sure of, death and taxes. Taxes, we know about, death, we hear about, but there is a great mystery about death and what will happen. We just heard that it’s appointed for people to die once, and then comes the judgment.

And then in the letter to the Hebrews, the same letter, chapter 2, it says that there’s a fear of death that people have. And as a person who has suffered panic attacks most of his life, because I’m afraid, and social phobias, and things like that, I know that that phobia, those fears, stem from a fear of death. That is the primordial fear. That’s the core fear that we all have, and we’re afraid of death because we don’t know what’s gonna happen. Well, this is a special program. I’ve had some experiences in my life where God has shown me what’s gonna happen when we die. Stay tuned, call your friends, this is really important. The church, the Christian Church, I’m a Catholic priest, it’s not a death-denying church, we don’t deny it like our society does, rather we have a death-defying church. We defy death. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

I love Paul the Apostle, he’s quite audacious, points death in the face, and he says, «Death, where’s your sting? Death, where’s your victory»? Wow, he says, «Thanks be to God, we have the victory in Jesus Christ». He said, «Nothing in all creation, not even death, can separate us from the love of God». So he talks death in the face, and he says, «You’re not the victor, we are». One of the episodes that I proclaimed in this series was about Easter, and about the Resurrection, and about how we have victory in Christ. I want to talk more about death. I was in an English class years ago, it was a high school English class, we had an interesting activity that our teacher wanted us to do, and it was to do a grave rubbing.

If you’ve ever seen that, you take some rice paper, and I would color it with the charcoal crayon, and the epitaph would come right onto the rice paper. It was from 1699, this is Massachusetts, and it just said Ma on it. It was in Old Deerfield Village. Well, I heard about this one epitaph, it was kinda humorous, it was in Key West, Florida, and this is what the epitaph, those are those words on the gravestone, this is what it said. It said, «As I am now, so you will be. Prepare for death, and follow me». And then somebody humorously wrote over it, «To follow you I’ll not consent, until I know which way you went». And I think that’s funny, because a lot of people don’t know where they’re going.

And the bottom line is, is that death is a reality. It’s something natural, because we are a fallen race, we’re all gonna go through it, just like our birth is natural. But it’s something that we have to prepare for, and that’s the reason for this program, this episode. I wanna help you to be ready, and I’m gonna give you some knowledge about what your death is gonna be like, so get ready for this. One of the founders of a community in the Catholic Church, Saint Benedict, he founded Western Monasticism, and St. Benedict wrote a rule, and in this rule he said, «Be mindful of your death every day». And that’s so vitally important, because most people that die are not ready.

People will say things like, «I’m too young to die,» or, «My life flashed before me and I wasn’t ready». Well, I want to help you, as a Catholic priest, to be ready. That’s the key. That’s the foundation of this talk right now. Biblically, we hear about death in the Bible all over the place, and biblically death is seen in different ways, but the number one way that the Bible talks about death is as an enemy. Death, more than anything else, is our enemy. It says that one day, everything, all the enemies, will be put under Christ’s feet. This is right from the Bible. And the last enemy will be death. Death itself will be put under his feet. Death is our arch enemy. God didn’t create death, he didn’t want death. It was through the envy of the devil, we’re told, that death entered into the world. It was because we are a fallen race. God originally created us to live forever, but he’s given us a way back. We’ve fallen, but we’ve been redeemed through the cross.

Jesus talked about death and very soft tones. Remember his friend Lazarus died, and he said, «Lazarus is sleeping, I’m gonna go wake him up». What a way to think about death. Other people in the gospel had died, and Jesus, a little girl, «Talitha koum,» he said to her, «Little girl, arise, get up». She was only sleeping. You know what sleep is, something very natural that we all go through, and it’s followed by a new awakening, refreshment. Jesus was talking about death in a natural way that is superseded by something better, a new awakening. He was talking about death as sleep.

Sleep brings refreshment, and the resurrection will bring a reawakening and refreshment. And then in the Scripture, this is oftentimes read at funerals. «The death of God’s faithful is precious to God». Right at the moment of your death, there will be a great compassion. We in the Catholic Church, when we have a funeral liturgy, we say that life is changed, not ended. That’s part of the funeral Mass. And then we sing a song, «May the angels of God lead you into paradise». God is very compassionate, and your death isn’t just gonna happen out there somewhere, I believe at the moment of your death, there will be a great mercy, a great compassion from God, even a great comfort, an ecstatic awakening.

Paul the Apostle talked about death as a departure. I go like this because you know what happens when an airplane takes off? It’s departing from one city to another. Biblically, that’s what happens when you die. You go from one place to another. The Bible addresses what death is. It’s not an unknown, it’s not denying death, it’s defying death. I wanna talk more about it, and when I talk about the death experience, and I’m interested in it not because I’m morbid, but because God revealed to me when I was a young man, I was praying for wisdom. When I say young, 18, 19 years old, seeking God in my life. Born and brought up Catholic, but not really going to church. And I was praying for wisdom, for understanding, and God gave me, by his mercy, not just for me I believe, but for everybody, because now I’m on television, and I write books, and I preach.

God gave for everybody an understanding of what’s gonna happen when we die. He gave me two, I call 'em two near-death experiences, and I say near death because I believe I died and went where we’re gonna go when we die, but I came back, so it was a near-death experience. I didn’t stay dead, God brought me back and then my life changed. I became a Catholic priest, totally revolutionized my life. Let me try to explain it to you in this way. I read a book by a doctor, Dr. Raymond Moody, and it was called «Life Beyond Life» and «The Life Beyond». He’s written a couple of books. And in this book, he talks about people on the operating table. We’ve all heard about these stories where all of a sudden, they lose their vital signs and they pass away. And they work hard on 'em and everything, and then some of them come back.

And some of the ones that come back come back with stories to tell. Yes, they died physically, but something happened at that moment of death, they came back, and the classic elements are these. Number one, they had a sensation of leaving their body. That’s what’s gonna happen at your death, by the way. You will have a sensation of leaving your body. I’ll talk about that more in a second. Then they went through some type of a tunnel or a passageway. I’m talking about the death experience, folks, as I’ve experienced it. You’ll never read this in a book other than the one that I wrote. Maybe some other people have talked about it, but I think everybody on the face of the earth ought to get my book, «Death, The Final Surrender,» because it’s the great mystery, and God revealed it to me because I was praying for wisdom, and wow, did it change my life. And then number three, there was an encounter with God after going through the passageway. Number four, a life review, a judgment. Number five, the coming back to the body, and number six, a changed life.

That’s the classic elements of a near-death experience, and that’s exactly what happened to me when I was 20 years old. I hadn’t read these books yet, but when I finally came to these books, I said, «Yes, this is explaining what happened to me, and I need to tell this story». At first, for years I didn’t tell anybody, because I didn’t want them to think I was crazy. But then I came to realize that God gave me these experiences that changed my life for me, of course, but also for the body of Christ, because many people are living with the fear of death, with doubts. They don’t know what’s gonna happen. They’re not sure if there is life after death. And as a Catholic priest, and I guarantee you, I’m not lying to you, I tell you the 100% honest, sincere truth. There is life after death, and I’m a witness.

I feel like Lazarus in the Bible. That could be my confirmation name, 'cause if you remember, Lazarus had died, and Jesus raised him up, resuscitated him, and he understood that there was life after death. I wanna talk more about it. As soon as that happened to me, and those classic elements, feeling of leaving my body, it happened to me right after I fell asleep, but I was awake. Sensation of leaving my body, I’m 20 years old, and then going through this tunnel, met God, tell you about that in a second. Had a judgment, it’s called the Particular Judgment in Catholic theology, came back to my body, changed life. I wept like a little baby. I never cry, I mean, even when I get hurt, broken bones, I don’t cry, I just don’t. I wept and sobbed.

I’ve had two of these experiences, about a month apart from each other, and both times I remember goin' to my bathroom sink, being so overwhelmed, and it was so traumatic of an experience, so life changing, that I washed my face and I continued to sob and weep, and it totally changed my life. As you can see, I’m a Catholic priest, been one for 30 years, because I wanted to live an authentic life, and I wanted to proclaim the truth of what’s gonna happen. And I sobbed, and wept, and I was being healed and transformed. I was being born again, literally born again, died and born again. That’s what happens in baptism. We are plunged into Christ, we die with him, and then we are raised up with Christ, we are born again. I’ll talk more about this now.

I want to make a distinction as I talk to you that I’m not talking about, when I talk about death, I’m not talking about the dying process. The dying process is when you get older, things deteriorate and diminish in your body and your mind, and you’re dying. Many of you are very familiar with that, and you know what it’s like. Yeah, we’re all familiar with the dying process, but I’m talking about the death moment itself, and there’s a distinction there, there’s a difference. And the death moment itself, how can I describe it? Remember what I said, it’s the sensation of leaving your body. I was tryin' to come up with some images, and here’s an image I like to use. It would be like a person holding a bunch of helium-filled balloons, and all of a sudden, there was a letting go, and the balloons ascend. He said to Mary Magdalen, «Don’t cling to me, I’m ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God».

At our death, it’s not the end, it’s not a cessation of life, it’s transformation, it’s a letting go, it’s a movement away from our body. The word also that I became familiar with through these experiences is a transcendence, an ascension. Another way to picture it is like going through a revolving door. I go into a hotel sometimes, and they’ve got these swinging, revolving doors, and you go from the lobby of the hotel and it’s one reality, and all of a sudden, you go through the door and you’re outside, and it’s totally different. And that’s the way it is when we pass. It will be a moment of transition. You may not know the way, but Jesus is the way.

That’s what he said to Thomas. Thomas said, «We don’t know the way». Jesus said to him, «Thomas, I am the way, the truth, and the life». Jesus is the way. Then what happens? Now, I am talking about the mystery of human beings and what happens when we die. Please open up your heart to this truth and let it touch you, because it is 100% absolutely true. You’ve heard that saying, «You’re going to meet your maker,» well, that’s exactly what happens. I heard about a little girl, probably in the first grade, second grade, and she’s drawing, teacher goes over to her and says, «Honey, what are you doing»? She goes, «I’m drawing a picture of God». Teacher says, «Honey, nobody knows what God looks like». She looks at the teacher and says, «They will when I’m done».

People want to know what God looks like. They want a picture of God. I can’t tell you exactly what God looks like, but I’m gonna tell you his characteristics, because I was not allowed to see clearly the face of God. Remember what it says in the Scriptures? «No one can see the face of God and live». But what I did see, it was light, it was bright, brighter than the sun, luminescent, and it embraced me. This light wasn’t only light, it was alive. And then, as we heard from the Scriptures, God is light. God is light. In God there is no darkness. And literally, that is literally true. God is light. And then the glory. We have a flag in the background here, and it’s called Old Glory. And when the wind is blowing, that flag waves. That’s like the waves of glory.

As I stood before God, as I stood before the light, and I knew exactly where I was, that I was standing before God, waves of glory were flowing through my soul. And when I talk about glory, it is pleasure, ecstasy, joy. This is called the Beatific Vision in theology. This is what we’re made for. This is why people aren’t happy, because they feel empty and they don’t feel God’s glory. At that moment, God breathed his Holy Spirit into me in a new way, and I continue to feel that glory every day of my life now. That glory is demonstrated in goosebumps and chills that run up and down your spine. That’s the presence of God in you if you’ve ever felt that. Probably 99% of you have, and I want you to identify that that is God living in you.

And the Glory was majestic and magnificent. We’re talking about the Creator of the universe here. And yes, God is glorious. And really quickly, I wanna keep moving, there’s so much I want to tell you. The love, this comes right from 1 John, and we all know this. God is love. «For God so loved the world». What is love? Love is a decision. It’s a choice, of course, but what I felt was affection. In the 12-Step Program, Alcoholics Anonymous, and other anonymous programs, they talk about making a surrender to the care of God, and that’s what brings you into recovery, the care of God. God cares for us. He has affection for us. We are the apple of his eye. He created us, and his love is intense, and overwhelming, and flows. That love has changed my life, the way I look at myself, my meaning, my purpose, and I want to make sure you understand you are loved by God. And then, really quickly came the judgment.

As you stand before God, there’s a Psalm, and it says that our secrets are revealed in the light of God’s face. And at the time, I was just 20 years old, and living the life of a teenager, and not right with God. And the judgment that I went through, it’s called the Particular Judgment. That’s gonna happen at the moment of our death. The Particular Judgment that I went through convinced me that I wasn’t right with God and I needed to change. The meaning of life, and this is the series, it’s about being fruitful.

Here’s the meaning of life that I was told. Number one, you must spend time with God and develop a personal relationship with God. That means being fruitful. Number two, you must turn away from sin, become virtuous, a loving person, a courageous person, a kind person, a forgiving person. That’s really important. That’s developing virtue, because that’s the way God is. And then number three, God has given everybody talents. You develop your talents and become all that you can be, the best that you can be. And then I felt myself coming back.

I told God I will be the best that I can be, thus I’m doing my best, folks. Became a Catholic priest, God has me on television now, writing all these books, and I really hope that you’ll get my book, «Death, The Final Surrender,» where I talk about it more. I’ve only got a few minutes with you right now. But all this happened to me, and then I came back to my body, change life. My parents thought I was going crazy because all of a sudden, I became religious, and I wasn’t very religious. And as you can see, I’m a Catholic priest, vow of poverty, I am all in. I want my life to be a witness that there is life after death. And more than that, I want my life to be a witness that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I want you to be ready for the moment of your death. That’s the purpose of this program.

If you remember in the Bible, Job suffered and he complained to God, God appeared to him, and Job said this, «I know that my Redeemer lives». And I’d say the same thing. I know that my Redeemer lives, and I want you to know that your Redeemer lives. Be ready by being fruitful. Become the best that you can be. Develop your relationship with God. Turn away from sin. Realize your potential. And you will be ready, and I leave you with one of my favorite Scriptures, comes from the letter to the Romans. «The sufferings of the present aren’t worth comparing with the glory that’s gonna be revealed». Whoo, and is that glory beautiful. Don’t just live, live with passion.