Thus, the Church, to somehow explain what happened in the fall (metaphysical catastrophe – separation, apostasy of man from God), denoted this event with the word “death”, which mainly people used to denote the cessation of biological life in II f. of existence. Why exactly did the Church take this word to denote the apostasy of man from God? Because death is the ultimate separation, an irreparable tragedy, a person moves into the absolute unknown (and non-being, from where there is no return). In this word “death” fear and sorrow reach their maximum! We now know in the New Testament that there is eternal life, that God is Love, Christians desire to transition from II f. to III f. of existence as the most perfect, where they will be face to face with God. In the Old Testament, they knew nothing about the afterlife, and if they tried to guess, it was mostly in pessimistic tones.
Thus, with the word “death” the Church points to the catastrophe of man’s apostasy from Life (from God) to existence in non-being (transition from the realm of Being to the realm of non-being). To be dead is to exist in a godless state. For example, when God tells Adam that if he sins, he will surely die – it is precisely about spiritual (not biological (physical) death, Adam died biologically after 930 years). In the letter to the Colossians, the apostle says: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses… made alive… having forgiven us all our trespasses.” The state of a person who has torn, separated herself from God by sins, is described through the image of physical death. The same theme sounds in the letter to the Ephesians: “And you, who were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world… dead in your trespasses, made alive together with Christ, – by grace you have been saved, – and raised up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”.
Thus, the leather tunics themselves are a blessing, they are from God given an alternative path of revelation of the hypostatic beginning (as opposed to the sinful path, which man autonomously, in disobedience to God, chose, neglecting the paradisiacal, given by God as the best), a path that leads to salvation, facilitates it. Leather tunics are a great blessing for man in the post-paradisiacal state (God is Love, and only Love)! We said that each subsequent (I, II, III f.) form of existence is more perfect than the previous one (that is, a person receives much more opportunities and freedoms for self-realization than in the previous form of existence). For example, a butterfly also exists in three forms: initially born as an egg, then dies for existence as an egg and is born for existence as a caterpillar (worm), then dies for existence as a caterpillar and is buried in a cocoon, from which in due time a beautiful butterfly emerges; in I f. the butterfly could only be in the egg, in one place (immobile in space), in II f. it could already crawl, and in III f. can already fly; with each transformation (metamorphosis) it begins to exist in a more perfect form and with greater freedom (the possibility to lie only in one place, then the possibility to crawl, and then the possibility to fly; as (ability) to crawl is incomparably better than being an immobile egg, so the ability to fly provides incomparably more freedom and opportunities than crawling… Each metamorphosis is a blessing and movement to fullness. This example also fits for illustrating the Sacrament of the Resurrection of creaturely beings. Thus, death-birth as a biological process for beings is a great blessing, that is, death in this context is a great, desired blessing (as the beginning of the process of birth, which leads to greater good).
Why do we grieve when we experience biological (metamorphosis in the realm of leather tunics) death? Only because we do not see it as a process of birth into a more perfect, happier world; we see only death (and by itself it is terrible and grotesque – because it is a movement into non-being) and, unfortunately, do not understand, do not want to, or cannot see the end of the vector, which indicates Good. Let’s illustrate the transition from one form of existence to another. In the womb of the mother, two twins live happily, joyfully, amicably. And now the time comes to transition (to die for uterine life and to be born into extrauterine) into the extrauterine form of existence. And we see the picture: one twin remains, and the other leaves this uterine world, where they lived together. For the one who remains in the womb, this event is a tragedy, an irreparable, as he thinks, sorrow: the brother died, death separated them forever… And for the parents, relatives – great joy – finally a baby was born into the world. Thus, the same event (death-birth) for some (who “lose”) – irreparable, unconsolable sorrow, and for others (who “gain”) – unspeakable joy, and for the very “culprit” of this event – great blessing! Thus, if there is Orthodox knowledge, then everyone should rejoice: both the culprit, and those who lose, and those who gain, – because for all this event is a Great Blessing (this is the providence of God-Love, the Mystery, under which all participants of the same event, which does not depend on them, creates Great Blessing: all together and each separately!). Similarly, we reason about the transition from II f. to III f. of existence. The Church of Christ, knowing God as Love and only as Love and contemplating His providence (incarnate Love in the care for man and the universe), burial of the deceased (the starting point of the process of transition from II f. to III f., Christians call not death, but dormition) is performed in Easter Joy, in white (bright, not black, dark, mourning, which indicate sorrow) robes, with lit candles, as symbols of resurrection. Because it knows that biological death-birth (now we are not talking about suicide, which occurs at the initiative of the person, but only about the providence of God (what comes without the initiative of the person), which needs to be timely and correctly perceived) in the “realm of leather tunics” – is a blessing for man (and how she will use this blessing – for good or not – is another question) and this event, being the providence of God (Who is Love), is the best for all: for the deceased (the time of transition has come – he has matured to the maximum, which he could reach; further staying in II f. for him will be a movement down, away from Happiness), for those who “lost” (and actually, without knowing it, gained, – because their friend became even richer in gifts and potentials, happier) and for those who gained (for the inhabitants of the heavenly hosts, residents of III f. of existence, where the deceased is born)!