Ps 33:21

“Not only do sinners meet such a fate, but also those hostile to the righteous will fall foul of troubles. Now, he says this to bring out the extent of the providence that God shows for the righteous. "Will come to grief" means that they will stumble, will trip up, will fail in their hostile intent against the righteous by being punished by God; "come to grief" meaning "missing the mark," which means failing to achieve a purpose and intent at odds with that prescribed—hence our calling a wrong action a sin as being at odds with the proper intention.”

“"The death of sinners is the worst" [Psalm 34:21]. Attend, Brethren, for the sake of those things which I said. Truly Great is the Lord, and His Mercy, truly Great is He who gave to us to eat His Body, wherein He suffered such great things, and His Blood to drink. How regards He them that think evil and say, "Such an one died ill, by beasts was he devoured: he was not a righteous man, therefore he perished ill; for else would he not have perished." Is he then righteous who dies in his own house and in his own bed? This then (do you say) it is whereat I wonder; because I know the sins and the crimes of this same man, and yet he died well; in his own house, within his own doors, with no injury of travel, with none even in mature age. Hearken, "The death of sinners is worst." What seems to you a good death, is worst if you could see within. You see him outwardly lying on his bed, do you see him inwardly carried to hell? Hearken, Brethren, and learn from the Gospel what is the "worst death" of sinners. Were there not two in that age, a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day; another a poor man who lay at his door full of sores, and the dogs came and licked his sores, and he desired to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table? Now it came to pass that the poor man died (righteous was that poor man), and was carried by Angels into Abraham's bosom. He who saw his body lying at the rich man's door, and no man to bury it, what haply said he? So die he who is my enemy; and whoever persecutes me, so may I see him. His body is accursed with spitting, his wounds stink; and yet in Abraham's bosom he rests. [Luke 16:19-22] If we are Christians, let us believe: if we believe not, Brethren, let none feign himself a Christian. Faith brings us to the end. As the Lord spoke these things, so are they. Does indeed an astrologer speak unto you, and it is true, and does Christ speak, and it is false? But by what sort of death died the rich man? What sort of death must it not be in purple and fine linen, how sumptuous, how pompous! What funeral ceremonies were there! In what spices was that body buried! And yet when he was in hell, being in torments, from the finger of that despised poor man he desired one drop of water to be poured upon his burning tongue, and obtained it not. Learn then what means, "The death of sinners is worst;" and ask not beds covered with costly garments, and to have the flesh wrapped in many rich things, friends exhibiting a show of lamentation, a household beating their breasts, a crowd of attendants going before and following when the body is carried out, marble and gilded memorials. For if you ask those things, they answer you what is false, that of many not light sinners, but altogether wicked, the death is best, who have deserved to be so lamented, so embalmed, so covered, so carried out, so entombed. But ask the Gospel, and it will show to your faith the soul of the rich man burning in torments, which was nothing profited by all those honours and obsequies, which to his dead body the vanity of the living did afford.”

“Then when he says, "The death of sinners," he presents the effects of divine providence with regard to the wicked. And concerning this he does two things. First, the dangers of the wicked are presented. Second, it is shown how God delivers his saints from these, at "The Lord will redeem." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he shows the evil that the wicked suffer in themselves. Second, what threatens them because they persecute the good, at "And those who hate." He says therefore, "Death," corporeal or spiritual. Corporeal death indeed is the worst for the wicked, because they are sent to the worst place. Lk. 16: "The rich man died and was buried in hell." Likewise, because they lose the hope of grace after death. Prov. 11: "When the wicked man dies, there will be no further hope." The death of sinners, therefore, is the worst, because they die both in body and in soul. Spiritual death: Eph. 5: "Rise from the dead." And this death is the worst. For death is the privation of life. Therefore the better the life of which it deprives, the worse the death. Spiritual death deprives the soul of the life of grace, which is the best, because it is through God. 1 Cor. 6: "He who clings to God is one spirit." Therefore it is the worst. Jerome has it thus: "Wickedness shall slay the impious," that is, shall destroy them. This is the wickedness that brings death upon sinners. Rom. 6: "The wages of sin is death." Next he shows what threatens the wicked because they persecute the just. Lk. 10: "He who despises you, despises me." And therefore he says, "And those who hate the just man shall offend." Prov. 29: "Bloodthirsty men hate the upright." If therefore he who hates God will offend, so also he who hates the servants of God.”

“Broken. Their virtue which is denoted by the bones, (Menochius) shall not sink under torments. So Christ encouraged his disciples, by assuring them that a hair of their head should not perish, Matthew x. 30. (St. Augustine) (Calmet) — The elements of our bodies cannot be divided or destroyed by human force, so as to prevent their resurrection. The identical bodies shall rise again, though they may have been subject to many changes, reduced to ashes, or consumed by wild beasts. This mystery has often offended incredulous philosophers. Jesus Christ is the just, by excellence; and this prediction was fulfilled in his person, as St. John (xix. 36.) does not confine himself to the type of the paschal lamb. (Berthier)”