Catholic Teaching on Life's Duration

There are no direct words from Jesus in the Catholic Bible that state one’s exact length of time on Earth; however, we do have a few passages where Jesus speaks to His disciples about God’s appointed “hour” or “time” and the soul’s accountability before Him, which Catholic teaching interprets as relating to the divine order of life and death.

The following are a few of those passages:

Matthew 26:39 – In Gethsemane, Jesus prays: “Not my will, but Yours be done.” This reflects submission to the Father’s plan, which includes the timing of His death.

John 7:6: Jesus tells His brothers: “My time has not yet come, but your time is always at hand.” Again, “time” here is understood as God’s appointed moment.

John2:4 – At the wedding at Cana, Jesus says to Mary: “Woman, why does this concern us? My hour has not yet come. “This shows His awareness of a divine timetable for His mission.

John 12:23 – “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. “This refers to the time set by the Father for His death and glorification.

In the above passages, Jesus speaks the words “hour” or “time” appointed by God; however, they do not provide any formula for how God decides the length of any individual’s life

Although the Catholic Bible does not state that longevity is specifically given to people because they are missionaries, nor is this a formal doctrine of the Catholic Church. However, while no explicit scripture ties a long life directly to missionary work, Catholic theology and scripture do offer a view of longevity, divine providence, and a person’s life mission.

General Biblical Views on Longevity

In both Catholic and Christian scriptures, a long life is generally presented as a temporal blessing from God, often associated with righteousness, wisdom, and obedience.

Commandments: The most direct promise of longevity is found in the Decalogue (Exodus 20:12) and reaffirmed in the New Testament (Ephesians 6:2-3), which connects honoring one’s parents to a long life.

Wisdom Literature: Books such as Proverbs state that the “fear of the Lord prolongs life” (Proverbs 10:27).

Note:  However, some of the Saints, such as Therese of Lisieux and Saint Joan of Arc, lived very short lives, but only after their mission had been accomplished.  This type of information often leaves one to follow their heart regarding a conclusion of belief. Yet we cannot deny that following scripture and the Commandments may indeed be tied to a long life or “Mission completed” according to the will of God.