What truly matters in life? It’s a question many of us put off answering—until something forces us to confront it head-on. For a growing number of people, that moment comes through a near-death experience (NDE). According to a new study published in the Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, those who have come face-to-face with death often return with a profoundly changed outlook on their professional lives. And their insights bear a striking resemblance to what the Catholic faith has always taught about vocation, purpose, and the dignity of work.
Researchers in Canada interviewed 14 working adults who had experienced near-death experiences, most of them years earlier. They found that “after brushing against death, employees frequently reprioritize their professional lives,” shifting away from chasing status or wealth and toward what one participant called “important work,” which reflects “a very strange, deep place” of desire to “make a huge impact… in every part of my life” (Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, 2024).
This mirrors the Catholic understanding of work as more than economic necessity. In Laborem Exercens, Pope St. John Paul II wrote that work is “a good thing for man—a good thing for his humanity—because through work man not only transforms nature… but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being.” The testimonies of NDE survivors reinforce this: work is not just about what we do, but who we become through it.
So how do these transformations take place? The study identified six key themes from participant interviews: insights and realizations, personal transformations, reprioritization of work, job changes, motivation, and changed relationships. Many survivors described their spiritual insights not as abstract ideas but as deeply lived truths. “Before the near-death experience it was about boats and big houses and Range Rovers and trips and shopping,” one participant said. “That doesn’t really matter anymore.”
Instead of chasing promotions and productivity, they began crafting their jobs—or changing them entirely—to serve others, build relationships, and honor a sense of divine purpose. As one participant explained, they came to view “financial transactions” not just as business exchanges, but as “expressions of gratitude for shared presence.”
This is the heart of what Catholic social teaching means when it speaks of the dignity of the human person and solidarity. Every task, no matter how small, becomes meaningful when done with love and in communion with others. As the Catechism teaches, “Work honors the Creator’s gifts and the talents received from him. It can also be redemptive” (CCC 2427).
The study also found that NDE survivors were no longer motivated by bonuses or recognition but by a sense of mission. Seventy-five percent changed careers entirely, while others remained in their roles but saw their work through new eyes. Many reported heightened empathy and a desire to build deeper, more authentic relationships at work. “Consciousness continues after death,” one participant noted, and many shared a belief in a “collective oneness,” describing how spiritual unity overcame differences like race, politics, or background.
Even those who haven’t experienced an NDE can benefit from this wisdom. As the study authors note, “the corporate hamster wheel loses its appeal pretty quickly when you’ve temporarily left your body.” But you don’t need to brush death to remember that no one dies wishing they’d worked more overtime. As Catholics, we are reminded daily—through Scripture, prayer, and sacrament—that our true identity is not in what we earn or accomplish but in who we are as beloved children of God.
The witness of NDE survivors, as described in the Journal of Management, Spirituality & Religion, challenges us to live that truth now. To prioritize purpose over prestige. To value people over performance. To recognize our work—whether raising a family, answering phones, or running a business—as an opportunity to love and serve.
As Pope Benedict XVI once said, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.” Near-death experiences make that greatness impossible to ignore. But the Gospel invites us to live it out long before our final breath.
