‘Asleep in Christ’

Pat McCloskey, OFM, explains that the biblical expressions "asleep in Christ" and "fallen asleep" serve as metaphors for death.

Writing for Franciscan Media, McCloskey notes that the Oxford Annotated Bible identifies these terms as common metaphors for the deceased in a footnote to 1 Thessalonians 4:14. This usage is reflected in the Gospel of John, where Jesus tells his apostles that Lazarus has fallen asleep before clarifying that Lazarus is dead.

McCloskey suggests these terms act as euphemisms to convey that death is not the end for Christians, who anticipate resurrection and life afterward. This mirrors other common phrases used to discuss death, such as saying someone is resting in peace or that the Lord has taken them.