Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body

This book is amazing. Very well written, and explains much of Church history/tradition surrounding the value of the human body, life on earth and the next life to come. Hahn makes a convincing case to opt for burial rather than cremation, though still reiterates that cremation is still permissible. This book also has a very hopeful outlook and does a good job of explaining why death should not be feared. Ultimately, Christians and everyone should be driven by hope in the life to come.

As a Catholic I am glad I read Scott's book. It helped my wife and me plan our funerals with thought and purpose.

In route to bury my father, while stranded at the airport in the early morning hours, I discovered this book. It was, as if, Jesus placed it in my hands and said, “Making the extra effort to be there for your Father’s burial is a high honor. You are doing good!”Anyone who wants to know why we must treat the human body with reverence and respect should read this book.

So informative & easy to understand. There is no doubt about the Catholic church teaching on death & dying & the good choices we can make before that final beneath! I highly recommend reading this book.

This book really opened my eyes to why bodily burial is the best option for Catholics. It may not be what I ultimately choose but Hahn does his usual excellent job in laying out the case. A good reminder for us to plan for our deaths, in more ways than one!

This book seems tantamount to Scott Hahn's extended reflection on the Vatican's 2016 "Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation," which makes abundantly clear that burial remains the preferred treatment for the bodies of the deceased. The Vatican reminds us that "the practice of cremation has notably increased in many countries, but simultaneously new ideas contrary to the Church’s faith have also become widespread....the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has deemed opportune the publication of a new Instruction, with the intention of underlining the doctrinal and pastoral reasons for the preference of the burial of the remains of the faithful and to set out norms pertaining to the conservation of ashes in the case of cremation."Cavalier mistreatment of human bodies can only thrive where there is a failure to understand that God wants each and every one of us - each soul AND BODY with Him forever in Heaven. Yet as Hahn notes right in his introduction: "Most of us don’t really believe in the resurrection of the body. Or we struggle to believe it....we don’t treat our bodies like sacred temples that belong in the heavenly courts." So many of us are failing to appreciate the grandeur of the human body and its destiny!

Good reading!

It is hard to imagine a book specifically about death being more uplifting than Scott Hahn's latest offering. Another superb work, and providentially timely considering the pandemic, Hahn masterfully takes the reader thru salvation history, the body as sacrament, the properties of a glorified body, our eternal destiny, the witness of the martyrs, a (fascinating) history of treatment of the dead, cremation and its problems, the importance of the body, an afterword inspired by the coronavirus in which is stressed the hope for the afterlife and praying for the dead, and more.However you're feeling right now about life and death, you will come away blessed when you finish this book.

Although I read some negative remarks about this book, I was not disappointed. This topic and the content is enriching, detailed, and so very useful. Thank you Scott Hahn.

Great Christmas present for my husband.

I have found inspiration from all of Scott Hahn's books, but this one I didn't find too inspiring. As one person commented, I was looking for an inspiring book on the mystery of death and resurrection. Unfortunately, he was more interested in passing on a fixation about cremation itself. I fully agree with the importance of respecting the body after death and that all should be done to honor it before disposing of it as reverentially as possible. Definitely, it should be visible at a funeral Mass. Seeing only an urn at the Mass is certainly not "fitting". That being said, we are reminded on Ash Wednesday, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." Whether we are buried or cremated, we are eventually turned into ashes. If Christ is "yesterday, today and forever", the time element doesn't play a part in the eyes of God when it comes to when we are turned into dust. Secondly, Purgatory is defined as a purifying fire. Submitting our bodies to cremation can also be interpreted sacramentally as a sign of the "purifying fire" that we pray will admit us into our Heavenly Home. Our faith is what determines the edification we place on how we choose to dispose of our sacred remains. The Church was wise in allowing cremation. This disposition never for a moment shows a lack of respect for our bodies, nor does it cause us to deny the resurrection.

I always revue these books before buying them !