Alive in Christ

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, remind us of the Grace and Goodness of God through which we called to full and eternal life.

Recalling Lives 

 

  The readings chosen by the CCCB differ from the USCCB readings today. In the Book of Job, he replies: “I Know That My Redeemer Lives.” Psalm 103 is Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness. The First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians declares “ all will be made alive in Christ.” In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals that “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain.”

 

Beth Samson invites us to begin today with a litany, spending time saying aloud or naming within our heart, all those who have passed from this earthly life.

Loving God, Creator God, God who delights in us and with whom we will spend our eternal days, we come to you in prayer today. We pray for all those who have departed this earthly life, especially those in purgatory, that they soon might come to experience the fullness of joy in heaven. We pray in gratitude for their lives, their witness of Your love, and their impact on earth. We pray for all those who mourn the death of a loved one, may they experience your comfort and grace. We pray in thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life with you, may each of the faithfully departed come to rest in peace with you forever. We pray all this through the intercession of the Communion of Saints, whose prayers join in ours today and always. Amen.1

 

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)2 

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 6:37-40 comments that Jesus makes a remarkable promise: “I will not reject anyone who comes to me” (John 6:37). His mercy is so great that if we come to him with humble faith and sincere repentance, he will cleanse us and heal us, no matter what we have done. How comforting! In this promise, we find the courage to pray that our loved ones will experience this healing, even after death. Not only that, but we find the courage to trust that the Lord who welcomes them will also heal and welcome us when we see him face-to-face.

Today, we pray for all who have died, that God’s holy and perfect love will continue to purify them so that they can be fully united with the Lord. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote, may they “become fully open to receiving God and able to take [their] place at the table of the eternal marriage-feast” (Spe Salvi, 46). May nothing hinder them: no sin, no fear or shame, no wounds from the sins of others. Let nothing keep them from Jesus and his healing love. “Lord Jesus, have mercy on us sinners.”3 

Friar Jude Wisdom reflects on the texts chosen by the USCCB including the DeuteroCanonical Book of Wisdom. We will participate in heaven in the sense of being divinized as expressed in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Friar Jude reminds us that God’s mercy is greater than our sins. We have the freedom to choose the Love with which God created us.

 

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that a robust commitment to the common good dates to the very beginnings of our faith and is rooted in both the Old and New Testaments. The Hebrew scriptures call readers to look beyond their own self interest to create a just and healthy community; and the Gospels teach us to love God with all of our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The so-called vertical line toward God must be embodied by a horizontal line toward everything else. The Catholic vision of the common good is as clear as it is challenging. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which the Vatican released in 2004, notes that the specific “demands” of the common good are deeply connected to the fundamental dignity and rights of the human person.

These demands concern above all the commitment to peace, the organization of the State’s powers, a sound juridical system, the protection of the environment, and the provision of essential services to all, some of which are at the same time human rights: food, housing, work, education and access to culture, transportation, basic health care, the freedom of communication and expression, and the protection of religious freedom. [1]4

 

As we bring to mind our deceased friends and family we meditate on the eternal nature of the Love that gives us Life.

 

References

1	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - Online Ministries. Retrieved November 2, 2021, fromhttps://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/110221.html
2	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2021&date=nov2a
3	(n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 2, 2021, from https://wau.org/meditations/2021/11/02/237380/
4	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: 2021 - Richard Rohr. Retrieved November 2, 2021, fromhttps://cac.org/a-concern-for-the-good-of-the-world-2021-11-02/

Consoled by the plan of God

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed present wisdom about the hope we share in Jesus promise not to lose what the Father has given Him.

Life beyond

The Book of Wisdom states that immortality is the reward 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.

Paul, in the Letter to the Romans, declares that Christian liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection.

* [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).

In the “bread of Life” discourse from the Gospel of John, Jesus assures us of that the will of God is that He not lose anyone given Him by the Father.

* [6:35–59] 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.

Don Driscoll, S.J. shares what he always believed about All Souls Day. It's not simply a call to pray for our deceased loved ones. It's also an awakening to our own mortality.

Our beloved pastor, Fr. John Ireland Gallery, had given a  home to two refugee priests from different Communist countries.  Both men had experienced similar horrifying tortures and punishments during their years of imprisonment.  But their most painful suffering occurred when on a given evening each was told, "This is your last meal. Tomorrow you DIE!"  The following morning they were led before a firing squad, blindfolded, and then trembled as they heard the command: "Ready, aim, fire!"  How stunned they were to discover they were still alive. The soldiers had been ordered to shoot above the heads of the two priests. The Communists repeated this charade 15 times over a period of 10 months.  What most touched me as these two men shared their stories with me is that in befriending "Sister Death," as St. Francis called her, they had no more fear of death. But even more inspiring was their willingness to forgive their captors and their ability to live joyfully in the present moment.  Both of these men were fully alive by living where God dwells, in the NOW of our lives.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Wisdom 3:1-9 invites us to consider the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) that might seem confusing at first glance. Is it a spooky holiday full of skeletons, or is it a heartwarming tribute to family members who have gone before us? It’s no coincidence that the Day of the Dead culminates on November 2. It has a lot in common with today’s commemoration of all the faithful departed.

They spring from our human impulse to stay connected and to honor our loved ones.
That desire for connection comes from our confidence that even though death cannot be avoided, it’s not the end of the story. Losing a loved one can be devastating, but our faith tells us that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God” (Wisdom 3:1). Even if they are “chastised a little,” we believe “they shall be greatly blessed” (3:5). That’s because we were made for immortality. We all long to share the joy of heaven with God. We remember the dead because our memories keep them close in our hearts—and because it keeps heaven close to our hearts

The words of Psalm 23 speak of the care of God in shepherding His people.

Friar Jude Winkler examines the sense of soul in Greek and Hebrew Wisdom. Dying for a good person is a possibility raised by Paul with the Romans. Friar Jude comments on the nature of sheep and goats in the alternate reading from Matthew 25:31-46 .

James Finley spiritual practice is to look within for the places that are blocking my ability to experience the flow of an immense tenderness that is endlessly giving itself to me in all situations.

The Dark Night of the Soul as described by John of the Cross is actually a tender, merciful art form of love. It very mysteriously dislodges us from whatever is keeping us in the stuck places. Sometimes it is disarmingly joyful and sometimes it is disarmingly painful; but if we lean into it and move with its rhythm, love charts its own course and brings us to a deep understanding of God’s love.
Thomas Merton once said we spend most of our lives under water. Every so often our head clears the surface and we look around and get our bearings. Then blik, we go back under again. In the moments when we get our bearings, we realize, “Oh my God! Look how endlessly trustworthy life is! Look at the God-given, godly nature of simple things!”

Our contemplation today is of the mystery of death and how our commemoration of the departed brings life.

References

(n.d.). Wisdom chapter 3 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/3

(n.d.). Romans chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/5

(n.d.). John chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/6:9

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved November 2, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

(n.d.). Meditations - The Word Among Us. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from https://wau.org/meditations/

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from https://cac.org/richard-rohr/daily-meditations/daily-meditations-archive/