The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. … But they are in peace. 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. (Wisdom 3:1, 4-5)
Jesus said to the crowds: "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
Piety
Jesus, dear Savior, on this day we prayerfully remember all our loved ones who have died. Please give them comfort and hope and may they be at peace, knowing that they will rest in God’s arms eternally. Thank You for our memories of them and for the good times we shared. We ask You please, through their intercession, to deepen our faith, strengthen our hope and increase our love that we, too, may someday stand before You, ready to enter Your Holy Kingdom. Amen. (https://www.rccav.org/prayers/day-2-november-second)
Study
“Why me?” Such a loaded question for believing men and women who are confronted with suffering and tragedy. We struggle to not see ourselves as victims. We look for meaning, reasons, events which led to the current troubles. We attempt not to doubt God’s plan for us – although asking God “why” is a good starting point for prayer.
Perhaps we can, in fact, use “why me” as an entrance into deeper reflection on our Christian journey. Our own human nature, flawed and fragile, is one which our Holy Lord, Jesus, chose to take upon himself. Henri Nouwen in Letter to Mark about Jesus[i] said “The great secret of life is that suffering, which often seems to be so unbearable, can become, through compassion, a source of new life and new hope.
“God has become human so as to be able to live with us, suffer with us, and die with us. We have found in Jesus a fellow human being who is so completely one with us that not a single weakness, pain, or temptation has remained foreign to him.”
In contemplating, in praying with, “why me” we can become vulnerable to the reality of mortal, limited life while joining in the truth of “why Jesus” who as brother and sufferer is exactly like us. He graces our suffering. His companioning does not necessarily decrease any misery we have in our lives but he will not lose us.
Action
In the bitter-sweet reality of Christian life, in time we will all join the ranks of All Souls. Spend some time considering this and the “why me’s" of any current suffering. Be in solidarity with the trials of all humans and the anguish Jesus chose. Yet do not forget the awesome gift of Jesus’s sweet promise that he will never lose you.
Image: Flight of Souls, Wade Memorial Chapel, Cleveland, OH
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