Ripening and Eternal Rest

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, challenge us to assess our path of ripening in the light of thanksgiving for our faith, hope, and love.

Ripening to Our Rest

The Book of Wisdom presents the Hidden Counsels of God ON SUFFERING

* [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.

* [3:6] Offerings: the image is that of the burnt offering, in which the victim is completely consumed by fire.

* [3:7] Judgment: the Greek episkopē is God’s loving judgment of those who have been faithful to him; the same word is used in 14:11 for the punishment of the wicked at God’s judgment. Cf. also v. 13. (Wisdom, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 23 proclaims God’s loving care under the figures of a shepherd for the flock.

* [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).

* [23:3] Right paths: connotes “right way” and “way of righteousness.”

* [23:5] You set a table before me: this expression occurs in an exodus context in Ps 78:19. In front of my enemies: my enemies see that I am God’s friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Ps 104:15; Mt 26:7; Lk 7:37, 46; Jn 12:2).

* [23:6] Goodness and mercy: the blessings of God’s covenant with Israel. (Psalms, PSALM 23 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Letter of Paul to the Romans is a commitment to teach believers patience and to strengthen hope, which dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s Faith, Hope, and Love.

* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5).

* [5:1] We have peace: a number of manuscripts, versions, and church Fathers read “Let us have peace”; cf. Rom 14:19.

* [5:7] In the world of Paul’s time the good person is especially one who is magnanimous to others. (Romans, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims 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 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John proclaims God’s revelation in Jesus in the The Bread of Life Discourse.

* [6:35–5, 9] Up to Jn 6:50 “bread of life” is a figure for God’s revelation in Jesus; in Jn 6:51–58, the eucharistic theme comes to the fore. There may thus be a break between Jn 6:50–51. (John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. George Meze, SJ, comments that in today’s Gospel, Christ calls each one of us to believe in him and follow him. Let us pray for the grace to accept the “Happy Chance” by following Christ because his path purges us to become an acceptable offering.

This gift of purgation is always available to us. It is the wonderful process of renouncing the very self from inordinate attachments in order to attach ourselves to God. It is to lose ourselves in God only to find ourselves. While purgation can be painful because it involves detaching ourselves from false hope, its outcome is freedom, love, and peace.

Saint Faustina, in her Diary, wrote about the purgation God gave her, while assuring her not to fear because he was always with her. Saint John of the Cross described it as the “dark night of the soul,” through which God leads the soul in order to purge the attachments that hinder its union with him. He refers to this purgation as a “Happy Chance,” because through it the soul escapes bondage and restrictions to be united with God. (Meze, 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.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today. In the Book of Wisdom one of the last in the Hebrew Testament, written in Greek and not in the Protestant Canon presents souls in the hands of God who have a special route planned for them. Jewish faith people are no longer about Sheol, at this time, but understand a reward for the faithful in death. Paul proclaims Jesus died for us as we were still sinners. We have been reconciled and will be raised like Jesus. Chapter 6 of the Gospel of John 6 proclaims the close relationship between Father and Son. They who are one with the Son will be raised. In John, the text usually refers to a realized eschatology but this is a future eschatology in the Bread of Life Discourse. Friar Jude notes that Jesus, truly present now in the Eucharist, will be present in heaven in a way where we will see Jesus face to face.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Wisdom 3:1-9 comments that St. Paul wrote, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God loved us before we deserved it. And he never stopped loving us. So we’re not trying to persuade God to be merciful; we already know he is.

So as you pray for your loved ones who have gone before you, let the Lord fill you with confidence in his unshakable commitment to his own. Let him plant the hope for immortality in your heart. And let him lift your eyes to heaven so that you will desire it for yourself and everyone you know.

“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord!” (Meditation on Wisdom 3:1-9, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how a spirituality of ripening allows us to hold greater paradox through an increasing awareness of our union with God. If we are to speak of a spirituality of ripening, we need to recognize that it is always characterized by an increasing tolerance for ambiguity, a growing sense of subtlety, an ever-larger ability to include and allow, and a capacity to live with contradictions and even to love them!

The ripening of mind and heart is most basically a capacity for nondual consciousness and contemplation. Many might just call it a growth in compassion, but surely no growth in compassion is likely unless one learns how to forgive as a very way of life, and to let go of almost everything as we first imagined it had to be. This is possible as our understanding of faith deepens, requiring a careful pairing of not-knowing (the apophatic way) with knowing (the kataphatic way). The Jewish and Christian traditions balanced our so-called knowing with trust, patience, allowing, waiting, humility, love, and forgiveness, which is very nearly the entire message, and surely the core message, necessary for the possibility of ripening. Otherwise, we all close down, and history freezes up with all of its hurts, memories, and resentments intact.

So my guidance after over eighty years of life is a simple reminder to recall what we will be forced to learn by necessity and under pressure anyway—the open-ended way of allowing and the deep meaning that some call faith. To live in trustful faith is to ripen; it is almost that simple. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the help of the Spirit as we commemorate our relationship with our departed family and friends and pray that eternal life be granted to them.

References

John, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/6?37 

Meditation on Wisdom 3:1-9. (2026, November 2). The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/11/02/1706121/ 

Meze, G. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-2-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 23 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). A Spirituality of Ripening. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-spirituality-of-ripening/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5? 

Romans, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/6 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Every One Who Believes in Him Will Be Raised up at the Last Day. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=nov2a 

Wisdom, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/3? 

Saintly Hope and Blessing

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today the Solemnity of All Saints invite us to the hope that our contemplation of the “blessed” will inspire our saintly action.

Great Cloud of Witnesses

The Reading from the Book of Revelation proclaims the Triumph of the Elect.

* [7:2] East: literally, “rising of the sun.” The east was considered the source of light and the place of paradise (Gn 2:8). Seal: whatever was marked by the impression of one’s signet ring belonged to that person and was under his protection.

* [7:4–9] One hundred and forty-four thousand: the square of twelve (the number of Israel’s tribes) multiplied by a thousand, symbolic of the new Israel (cf. Rev 14:1–5; Gal 6:16; Jas 1:1) that embraces people from every nation, race, people, and tongue (Rev 7:9).

* [7:9] White robes,palm branches: symbols of joy and victory; see note on Rev 3:5.

* [7:10] Salvation comes from: literally, “(let) salvation (be ascribed) to.” A similar hymn of praise is found at the fall of the dragon (Rev 12:10) and of Babylon (Rev 19:1).* [7:14] Time of great distress: fierce persecution by the Romans; cf. Introduction. (Revelation, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 24 calls the people to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary.

* [Psalm 24] The Psalm apparently accompanied a ceremony of the entry of God (invisibly enthroned upon the ark), followed by the people, into the Temple. The Temple commemorated the creation of the world (Ps 24:1–2). The people had to affirm their fidelity before being admitted into the sanctuary (Ps 24:3–6; cf. Ps 15). A choir identifies the approaching God and invites the very Temple gates to bow down in obeisance (Ps 24:7–10). (Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the First Letter of John proclaims our gift as true children of God.

* [3:1–3] The greatest sign of God’s love is the gift of his Son (Jn 3:16) that has made Christians true children of God. This relationship is a present reality and also part of the life to come; true knowledge of God will ultimately be gained, and Christians prepare themselves now by virtuous lives in imitation of the Son.

* [3:2] When it is revealed: or “when he is revealed” (the subject of the verb could be Christ). (1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew presents The Sermon on the Mount.

* [5:3–12] The form Blessed are (is) occurs frequently in the Old Testament in the Wisdom literature and in the psalms. Although modified by Matthew, the first, second, fourth, and ninth beatitudes have Lucan parallels (Mt 5:3 // Lk 6:20; Mt 5:4 // Lk 6:21b; Mt 5:6 // Lk 6:21a; Mt 5:11–12 // Lk 5:22–23). The others were added by the evangelist and are probably his own composition. A few manuscripts, Western and Alexandrian, and many versions and patristic quotations give the second and third beatitudes in inverted order.

* [5:3] The poor in spirit: in the Old Testament, the poor (’anāwîm) are those who are without material possessions and whose confidence is in God (see Is 61:1; Zep 2:3; in the NAB the word is translated lowly and humble, respectively, in those texts). Matthew added in spirit in order either to indicate that only the devout poor were meant or to extend the beatitude to all, of whatever social rank, who recognized their complete dependence on God. The same phrase poor in spirit is found in the Qumran literature (1QM 14:7).

* [5:4] Cf. Is 61:2, “(The Lord has sent me)…to comfort all who mourn.” They will be comforted: here the passive is a “theological passive” equivalent to the active “God will comfort them”; so also in Mt 5:6, 7.

* [5:5] Cf. Ps 37:11, “…the meek shall possess the land.” In the psalm “the land” means the land of Palestine; here it means the kingdom.

* [5:6] For righteousness: a Matthean addition. For the meaning of righteousness here, see note on Mt 3:14–15.

* [5:8] Cf. Ps 24:4. Only one “whose heart is clean” can take part in the temple worship. To be with God in the temple is described in Ps 42:3 as “beholding his face,” but here the promise to the clean of heart is that they will see God not in the temple but in the coming kingdom.

* [5:10] Righteousness here, as usually in Matthew, means conduct in conformity with God’s will.

* [5:12] The prophets who were before you: the disciples of Jesus stand in the line of the persecuted prophets of Israel. Some would see the expression as indicating also that Matthew considered all Christian disciples as prophets. (Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth comments that in the Beatitudes, Jesus identifies the “blessed” among us and says how they have earned the designation. Then he tells them what consolations and rewards to expect.

I’m struck by how helpful they are as we struggle with sorrow and suffering. Jesus is not talking abstractly when he tells us that those who mourn will be comforted or that those who endure persecution for the sake of righteousness will win the Kingdom of heaven. After all, authorities harshly criticized him for challenging religious traditions and he lived under oppressive Roman rule. He’s throwing out a lifeline to people who risk following him because in the end, this will all work out. That was true then and remains true today…

It’s almost a pity that the Beatitudes are presented so concisely because we tend to try to grasp them holistically when we could profitably meditate on each of them. But collectively they offer ordinary strivers like us a beautiful path toward becoming saints.

So rejoice and be glad! Celebrate the saints living and dead who have blessed your lives and believe that the kingdom of heaven awaits.. (Wirth, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Perfect blessedness is humility of spirit,” by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD).

"'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.' The Lord taught by way of example that the glory of human ambition must be left behind when he said, 'The Lord your God shall you adore and him only shall you serve' (Matthew 4:10). And when he announced through the prophets that he would choose a people humble and in awe of his words [Isaiah 66:2], he introduced the perfect Beatitude as humility of spirit. Therefore he defines those who are inspired as people aware that they are in possession of the heavenly kingdom... Nothing belongs to anyone as being properly one's own, but all have the same things by the gift of a single parent. They have been given the first things needed to come into life and have been supplied with the means to use them." (excerpt from commentary ON MATTHEW 4.2) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the texts for today.The Book of Revelations proclaims 144 thousand will receive the seal of the living God. In Ezekiel, the Tau, the first letter of the Law and even today the phylacteries, are small black leather boxes with Torah verses worn by Jewish men. The 144 thousand is 12 x 12  x 1000 representing the twelve patriarchs and the twelve tribes. This is symbolic of the old and new Israel one thousand times over. Note the numeric multiplication indicates more than the eye can see. Seven attributes reflect the perfect number indicating all possible praise is due. Children, now and in the future. We should approach living tabernacles in love and service. Jesus' sermon on the Mount is a proclamation of the new Law for the New Israel. In Matthew's Gospel there are 8 blessings. Luke presents four blessings and four curses. Matthew is more spiritual than Luke who may be using a traditional Jewish style. Friar Jude comments that the poor in spirit are living with humility. Mourning is the time when we reach out for consolation. The meek follow Jesus' example of righteousness. In Matthew, righteousness is redefined as compassion. Friar Jude notes that the merciful are clean of heart and are persecuted for righteousness consistent with people of integrity.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14 comments that in recalling the Second Vatican Council’s universal call to holiness, Pope Leo XIV said, “Holiness . . . is not a privilege for the few, but a gift that requires every baptized person to strive for . . . the fullness of love towards God and towards one’s neighbor” (Audience, April 8, 2026).

As the Council fathers put it, “The classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is one” (Lumen Gentium, 41). The one thing every saint has in common is that they let the Lord lead them as they grow in love for him and for the people around them.

How encouraging! The way we get there might differ, but our destination is the same: heaven, where we will praise God with that “great multitude”!

“Jesus, help me to follow you so that I can join all the saints in heaven!” (Meditation on Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, 2026)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, uses the language of “ripening” to describe the process of aging with wisdom and grace. There must be a direction to ripening, but we must also recognize that any steps toward maturity are by necessity immature. An understanding of ripening basically teaches us the wisdom of timing, love, and patience, and allows us to be wise instead of judgmental. 

Ripening, at its best, is a slow, patient learning, and sometimes even a happy letting go—a seeming emptying out to create readiness for a new kind of fullness—which we are never sure about. If we do not allow our own ripening, an ever-increasing resistance and denial sets in, an ever-increasing protection around an over-defended self. At our very best, we learn how to hope as we ripen, to move outside and beyond self-created circles. Youthful hopes have concrete goals, whereas the hope of older years is usually aimless hope, hope without goals, even naked hope—perhaps real hope.

Such stretching is the agony and the joy of later years, although one can avoid both of these rich experiences too. Old age, as such, is almost a complete changing of gears and engines from the first half of our lives, and does not happen without many slow realizations, inner calmings, lots of inner resistance and denials, and eventual surrenders. All of them by God’s grace work with our ever-deepening sense of what we really desire and who we really are. (Rohr, n.d.)

Richard L. Floyd comments that “So Great a Cloud of Witnesses” is such an important way to think about the church. We have been learning to think of the church ecumenically; to consider the breadth of the church across denominational lines and national boundaries. 

But how quickly we forget the length of the church, its trans–temporal reality across the generations. That is where the role of tradition comes to play in the church, the place where the communion of saints gets their say. As GK. Chesterton put it, “Tradition is only democracy extended through time.” 

And that’s important because a church that forgets what the saints have learned from generation to generation will hardly be equipped to be the church in its own generation. So, the church rightly remembers the communion of saints, and even more than that, claims that in Christ, we share with them in the divine life. (Floyd, n.d.)

We seek the Wisdom of the Spirit as we contemplate our membership in the “Great Cloud of Saints” and ask blessing on our action, today, to witness to our faith.

References

Floyd, R. L. (n.d.). “So Great a Cloud of Witnesses” A Sermon on Hebrews 12: 1-2. Richard Floyd. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://richardlfloyd.com/2024/11/03/so-great-a-cloud-of-witnesses-a-sermon-on-hebrews-12-1-2/ 

Matthew, CHAPTER 5 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?1 

Meditation on Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14. (2026, November 1). The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/11/01/1705476/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/3? 

Psalms, PSALM 24 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/24? 

Revelation, CHAPTER 7 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/7? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Maturity and Patience. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/maturity-and-patience/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Rejoice and Be Glad, for Your Reward Is Great in Heaven. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2026&date=nov1a 

Wirth, E. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-november-1-2026