The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, invite us to contemplate our relationship with people we love who have died as we reflect on our own mortality.
The passage from the Book of Wisdom describes the Destiny of the Righteous.
* [3:1–4:19] The central section of chaps. 1–6. The author begins by stating that immortality is the reward of the righteous, and then in the light of that belief comments on three points of the traditional discussion of the problem of retribution (suffering, childlessness, early death) each of which was often seen as a divine punishment.
* [3:1–12] The author affirms that, for the righteous, sufferings are not punishments but purification and opportunities to show fidelity, whereas for the wicked suffering is truly a punishment. (Wisdom, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Psalm 23 praises the Divine Shepherd.
* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10).
* [23:1] My shepherd: God as good shepherd is common in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (Ez 34:11–16; Jn 10:11–18). (Psalms, PSALM 23, n.d.)
The Letter of Paul to the Romans declares freedom from sin and Life in God.
* [6:1–11] To defend the gospel against the charge that it promotes moral laxity (cf. Rom 3:5–8), Paul expresses himself in the typical style of spirited diatribe. God’s display of generosity or grace is not evoked by sin but, as stated in Rom 5:8 is the expression of God’s love, and this love pledges eternal life to all believers (Rom 5:21). Paul views the present conduct of the believers from the perspective of God’s completed salvation when the body is resurrected and directed totally by the holy Spirit. Through baptism believers share the death of Christ and thereby escape from the grip of sin. Through the resurrection of Christ the power to live anew becomes reality for them, but the fullness of participation in Christ’s resurrection still lies in the future. But life that is lived in dedication to God now is part and parcel of that future. Hence anyone who sincerely claims to be interested in that future will scarcely be able to say, “Let us sin so that grace may prosper” (cf. Rom 6:1). (Romans, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
The Gospel of John presents text from Jesus Bread of Life Discourse.
* [6:22–71] Discourse on the bread of life; replacement of the manna. Jn 6:22–34 serve as an introduction, Jn 6:35–59 constitute the discourse proper, Jn 6:60–71 portray the reaction of the disciples and Peter’s confession. (John, CHAPTER 6, n.d.)
Vivian Amu asks how are we expected to love someone or anyone and then watch them die or hear of their death from a distance without dying a little bit inside ourselves? How are we expected to let go of a spouse, a child, or a friend whom we spent years loving and suffering alongside, only to see them slip away from our life? How are we expected to move on and tend to other things as if it were that easy to put a timeframe on grief?
Those who have died have shed their physical body, a body that ages, hurts, breaks, and sometimes becomes a prison of illness. Still, their souls are immortal and can only be reunited with God. So, they are not lost or gone; they made it. They live in a new form and a renewed spirit. They are always with us in our memories, their legacy of deeds, their impact on the lives of others, and even those stories yet untold. Those who have died live on in their family -- families they were born into, and families fostered over time in unexpected places. Yes, they were called home; we are their home, the temples where God resides, and their souls are reunited with God in full communion. Yes, they died, but only so they may live again closer to us than ever before. Yes, they are no longer physically here, but when we remember how they laughed, when they cried, their scent, their hugs, their smile, their favorite meal, how they walked, and whom they loved, they show up in our minds as real as the last time we saw them. We never stop loving them; we never stop feeling their presence. Thank God for that grace and mercy. They manifest in our memories to assure us of their profound peace and to share some of that peace with us.
Merciful God, give peace and rest to the dead and pardon them of any sins.
To those living, give mercy, grace, and comfort as we tend to our aching hearts. Amen (Amu, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “Whoever sees and believes,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"He has said two things: 'This is the work of God that you should believe in the one whom he has sent,' while here he added, 'whoever sees and believes.' The Jews saw but did not believe; they had the one condition, lacked the other. How could they attain to eternal life without the other? The reason those who saw did not attain eternal life was because they did not also believe. If so, what about us who have believed but have not seen? If it is those two things that earn eternal life, seeing and believing - and whoever is lacking one of them cannot attain to the reward of eternal life - what are we to do? The Jews [who saw him] lacked the one; we the other. They had seeing but lacked believing. We have believing but lack seeing. Well, as regards our having believing and lacking seeing, we have prophetically been declared blessed by the Lord himself just as Thomas, one of the Twelve, was blessed when he felt [Jesus'] scars by touching them." (excerpt from HOLY VIRGINITY 3.1) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 5:5-1 comments on the message of All Souls Day. Today we celebrate the truth that no one is so sinful that they are outside of the scope of God’s love. Everyone has the chance to experience that love—countless chances, in fact. Anyone who turns to the Lord at any point in their lives can receive it.
While we were still sinners . . . For anyone who has not closed himself off completely from God’s love, this promise extends even beyond death. This is the heart of the Church’s teaching on Purgatory. The Catechism tells us, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; . . . after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (1030, emphasis added).
So don’t give up on any of your loved ones—or any of your enemies. And for heaven’s sake, don’t give up on yourself! You may be a sinner, but you are a beloved, cherished sinner for whom Christ died. He is always ready to heal, to forgive, and to cleanse. Always. Even today.
“Lord, may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” (Meditation on Romans 5:5-1, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler discusses the Hebrew idea of Sheol as a holding tank and contrasts the Hebrew concept of body and soul as one with the Greek view of the soul imprisoned in the body. Paul underlines the choice we make to be slave to sin or slave to God through our Baptism in Christ. Friar Jude reminds us that realized eschatology is a theme of John’s Gospel even as the passage today points to a future eschatology.
Barbara Holmes has written about “God in Thin Places,”. She shares being happy to the point of bursting, and to top off this sense of euphoria, my beloved, deceased Aunt Grace was there.
See, most families would’ve pooh-poohed my account of flying and visitations from a dead relative. But my family has roots in the Gullah culture of South Carolina on my father’s side and the Maryland eastern shore mystics on my mother’s, so they share a belief: everybody knows that the dead come back. They come back and forth to offer warnings, to bring messages from the other side. I was quizzed by the elders.
When I couldn’t come up with any deep wisdom or any important message from the other side . . . one aunt said rather pointedly, “Let us know if she comes to you again.” There it was, I had received affirmation Aunt Grace had been there and might come again. . . .
We live in a world saturated with the love and intentionality of an ever-present God, and we are not alone. (Holmes, 2022)
We are nudged by the Spirit to openness to revelation about the nature of Eternal Life and our connection to loved ones who have died.
References
Amu, V. (n.d.). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/110222.html
Holmes, B. (2022, November 2). Love Beyond the Veil — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/love-beyond-the-veil-2022-11-02/
John, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?37
Meditation on Romans 5:5-1. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/11/02/525091/
Psalms, PSALM 23. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23?1
Romans, CHAPTER 6. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/6?3
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=nov2a
Wisdom, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 2, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/3?1
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