SATURDAY, THIRTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Wis 3:1-9 Ps 23: 1-6 Rom 5: 5-11 Jn 6:37-40
BEING INVITED THROUGH DEATH
Do you have a fear of death? Many people do! The fear of death usually stems from three reasons. For some, it is the pain and suffering that are associated with the death of the person. The pain people face when they die disturbs some. The pain and vacuum that are created through the death of the person are the other reasons that disturb them. For some, the wonder of what happens to our physical bodies when we die is a disturbing concern! “Is that it? Does our body, which we cared for and loved, decay just like that?” is what they ask. Finally, for others, it is the question about the destination of our souls that troubles them. “Will I attain the bliss of heaven? Will I be condemned to hell? Or is there heaven and hell?” are the questions they raise! Nevertheless, death is the most feared aspect of our lives because it escapes no one. One day, we shall face death!
Today, the church makes a very noble act. It prays for the dead. But all those who have passed before us are not dead. Rather, they are living and in need of our prayers. Therefore, they are the ones who have departed from this life in pursuit of a greater life in the company of God! The ones who have departed aren’t separated from us but are still in communion with the Church. While we are here on earth and the saints are in heaven, they are those who are being purified to enter the state of being holy to behold the most holy God! Hence, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (CCC 1030). The ones who have died, free of mortal sin through the sacrament of confession and anointing of the sick, still need further purification to enter into the friendship of All Holy God! Since the state of those who are dead needs to be purified, the Church commends this day to pray for them.
However, why do they need our prayers? 2 Macc 12:42,46, provides us with a scriptural basis for praying for them. It says, “Turning to supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted out. Thus made atonement for the dead that they might be free from sin.” Judas Maccabeus made an atonement for the dead, indicating that it is a good and pious thought to pray for the dead. The Church, too, enforces and encourages us to pray for the departed as an expression of love and solidarity. Since the departed are being purified in purgatory, wherein all their attachments to the world are being removed, the loss of attachments to the things and desires they had in this world becomes a painful and agonizing experience. However, since this is a necessary process and just like a parent comforts a child who has bruised himself, similarly, this day calls all of us to comfort and console all those who have gone before us.
In praying for the departed, the church provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the reality of death and the hope of resurrection, the basis of our belief! She encourages us to think of those who have passed before us, considering all the fond memories we have of them, and to foster a spirit of gratitude for their impact on our lives. Therefore, to intercede for them all, the Church recommends that we gather around the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass to seek the grace and mercy of God on them. Apart from this, by granting us an indulgence in visiting the graves, the Church seeks to relieve us of the pain that we would undergo after we pass away from this world. Also, the church calls us to engage in acts of remembrance and intercession for those who have died through different means!
The Church is a communion of saints. It is comprised of those who are living on earth, those who are on the journey to be with God, and those who are already with God! Thus, there is a link of love between all three! It is this love that casts away the fear of death. For us, after all, who have been redeemed by the death of Christ, facing death is just an invitation to enter into eternal loving companionship with God!
Response: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
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