Breath – the beginning and the end of life
In Genesis we read, ‘God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.’ The life of man began therefore with the breath that God gave him.* And it is still true that the life of every human being begins with a breath. When a child leaves its mother’s womb, the first thing it must do in order to become an inhabitant of this earth is to draw breath. It opens its little mouth and screams, and everyone who hears it is glad because this scream tells them that the baby is alive. Thanks to that indrawn breath, the baby’s lungs fill with air and begin to function. Conversely, when we say that someone has breathed his last, everybody understands it to mean that he is dead. Breath is the beginning and the end. Life begins with a breath drawn in and ends with a breath expelled.
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