November 2, 2009
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. Wisdom 3:4-6
For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8
“And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day.” John 6:39-40
Piety
May all the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, Rest in His Peace. Amen.
Study
A hefty dose of Catholic guilt and thanksgiving may be appropriate today. Despite what we do, God still loves us to the bitter end and beyond.
Exhibit 1: First reading from Wisdom -- God tried them and found them worthy of himself. In a trial, think of the witnesses that God could call against us. He has access to everyone who has witnessed everything we have ever done wrong. Despite that, AFTER he tried us and heard from the parade of witnesses, God still found us as worthy as gold fired in a furnace to be saved.
Exhibit 2: Second reading from Romans -- God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Certainly no one could blame God if he waited until we cleaned up our act before sending his son to save us. But NO! God does not work the way we work. His heart is hardwired for unconditional love, not penance. While we were still sinners, he sent his Son to die for us. And Jesus accepted God’s will. This always calls to mind for me the image of the father in the parable of the prodigal son. While the guilty son who wasted his inheritance was still a long way off, the Father, always watching for his return ran to greet him. That is God running to greet us even though we are not worthy. God only has to say the word and we shall be healed.
We may withhold our love until we get what we contractually want. But such thinking and action is beyond God’s nature.
Exhibit 3: Good News from St. John. “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day.”
Who can not imagine the parable of the Lost Sheep and the Good Shepherd when reading this? For want of one lost sheep, the Lord put the rest of his flock at risk to go seek out the one wanderer. He will not lose any one of us. All he asks of us is faith. When we share that faith, we will have eternal life.
Action
Remember today all those who have contributed to your life and have gone to their rest with the hope of rising again.
Your parents and grandparents. Siblings. Aunts and Uncles. Teachers and tenants. Neighbors and nations. Coaches and classmates. Leaders and Followers.
Pull out a picture of one or more of them and carry it with you today meditating on their name and what they meant to your life. Think of how their unconditional love mirrored what God has in store for you in abundance in his house.
