The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed offer contemplation of hope provided by the Holy Spirit that helps us move between the real presence and real absence that we experience in remembering the deceased and in joining others in the Sacred Meal.
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| Beside still waters |
Reassured by the Shepherd
* [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.1
In Psalm 23, the Divine Shepherd calls us to table in the sight of our enemies.
* [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).2
The Letter of Paul to the Romans declares that hope will not disappoint.
* [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).3
In the Gospel of John, Jesus discourse on the bread of life includes assurance of the eternal love of God.
* [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.4
Edward Morse, as a convert to Catholicism, was attracted by the beauty of the litany of the saints and by the idea of prayer and worship binding all the committed faithful together across the division of time and space.
The mystery and hope of salvation was the subject of the encyclical Spe Salvi (2007), which states in part: “Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.” There are conditions here, of course, marked by “if”. But in each case, our faith answers “yes”.5
Don Schwager quotes “Whoever sees and believes,” by Saint 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)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Wisdom 3:1-9 notes that the Church sets aside a whole month, and All Souls Day in particular, so that we can pray for the people who have gone before us.
As you pray for your deceased loved ones, remember that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God” (Wisdom 3:1). God is caring for them, just as he continues to care for us. Whatever happens after death is still a mystery to us. All we know, all we can count on, is that our God is a God of love and mercy. His greatest desire for us is that we live with him forever, and he is committed to helping us get there—even after we have passed from this life.7
Friar Jude Winkler explains the exclusion of Wisdom from Hebrew and Protestant canons as a text recovered only in Greek. Our hope is in Love that heals the brokenness of sin and enables all to accept the embrace of God. Friar Jude refers to the future eschatology of the text today connecting it to both the real presence and the real absence of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Fr. Damian Ference, a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland and a doctoral student in philosophy, urges that we also need to take a closer look at the way our culture has formed our understanding of presence and absence, specifically in how we eat, and how we use our cell phones at the table. Because the way we conduct ourselves outside of Mass prepares us—for better or for worse—for how we experience what happens within the metaphysical realities of the Mass, and how we then take it forward to a society that desperately needs Christ.
But we live in a culture that does not promote or encourage families and friends to make time to share meals together. We often choose to “fuel up” or “have a quick bite.” We regularly eat alone in our cars or at our desks, rather than around a table with others. We may get more done by replacing a meal with a shake or by snacking throughout the day, but human beings flourish when we are present to each other at meals.
Sharing meals allows us to experience the real presence of one another. When we choose to eat alone or on the run, or we simply decide to “take nourishment,” we are training ourselves to live with absence. A culture that promotes eating alone or on the run is a culture that promotes real absence. It’s a culture that values calories more than community, and efficiency over being. It’s not a good place to be, but unfortunately, it’s where many of us are.8
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that Jesus approached the Hebrew Scriptures with the assumption that God had been dialoguing with humanity since the beginning. He used the Jewish practice of midrash as a way of participating in this dialogue. Midrash is a method of interpreting Scripture that fills in the gaps, by questioning and imagining a multitude of possible interpretations. A practice, drawn from Teresa Blythe’s book 50 Ways to Pray, offers an interactive experience with the Bible through openness, contemplative attitude, and critical thinking. This practice invites us to trust that God will meet us where we are and will take us where we need to go as we consider the meaning of the text.
Consider which character in the story you would like to interact with. It could be a person you find agreeable, or a person with whom you want to question or debate. Who are you drawn to? When you decide on a character, write the name at the top [of a piece of] paper.
Hold an imaginary conversation—on paper—with the character in the story. You may want to stick with the theme of the Scripture and talk about that, or you may want to discuss other topics. It is completely up to you. Let your imagination roll free and see what transpires. (20 minutes)
When you are finished, read your dialogue out loud… End your reflection time with a prayer of gratitude for what you experienced.9
The daily journey, led by the Spirit of God, offers opportunities to practice actions that build the Love that is eternal relationship with God.
References
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