The Book of Wisdom or The Wisdom of Solomon 3:17 Commentary

Far be it from us to think or to say, according to the error of those without faith, that the young Christian “stole the black day and overpowered bitter death.” In fact, according to the words of the apostle John, the black day sweeps away those who “are in darkness and walk in darkness, not knowing where they are going, because the darkness has blinded their eyes.” The black day carried away those whom the true light himself judges severely. “This is the judgment,” he says, “because the light came into the world, and people preferred darkness to the light: their works in fact were evil.” Those who live in this way are in such a state that when they hear the voice of the Son of God, they will not be called to life but to judgment. The Lord says, “The hour will come when all those who are in their graves will hear his voice. Those who did good will go to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” And because neither a brief nor a long life is of any use to them, the book of Wisdom says of such persons, “Even if they have a long life, they will be held of no account, and in the end their old age will be without honor. If they die young, they will have neither hope nor comfort in the day of judgment.”