It is a hard word, “dead”. We tend to shy away from it, even though every day of life teaches us its reality.

The Pope is dead, and you and I will die, but God has done something about it.

“Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.” Letter to the Hebrews 2:14-15

Jesus deliberately came to “share in flesh and blood”. He came to be one of us. Because he did, we are able to be comforted. He knows our condition. He knows our struggles. Knowing our fear of death, and he came to relieve us of it.

Because of Jesus, the devil, our accuser, has no power in the courts of God. Your debt is paid by Jesus, who offered himself to save you, and me too! Like Isaiah wrote over 700 years before Mary gave birth:

“However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him.” Isaiah 53:4-6

Jesus will, therefore, walk with you in life and meet you in death if you will arrange that with him. As Peter delivered Jesus’ message to those who came to believe in Jesus even after they had crucified him, 

“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, Acts of the Apostles 2:38

All those folks are long since dead. The pope is dead. Jesus is not. He is very much alive and waits to greet you when your time comes. Make yourself ready!