20201102 CHRISTIAN HOPE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
02 November, 2020, Monday, All Souls
Isaiah 25:6-9
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Romans 5:5-11
5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. 8 But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.
Matthew 11:25-30
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; 26 yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.* 27 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. 28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
CHRISTIAN HOPE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DIED
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 25:6-9; ROMANS 5:5-11; MATTHEW 11:25-30 ]
What is most distressing in the world today is the feeling of despair! This is all because secularism has removed humanity’s hope for a future life on this earth and the fullness of life after death. With so many problems facing humanity, pandemics, civil unrest, religious and military conflicts, international trade and technological disputes, the destruction of ecology and weather warming, a world where people live in deep suspicion of each other, between countries, the future is so uncertain. This is why the modern generation just seeks to live for today and they do not see why they should be responsible for the future of the planet since they will no longer be around. When there is no accountability beyond this life, there is very little motivation to sacrifice our pleasure, comforts and security for others.
The Feast of All Souls tell us that we are not just made of matter. We are constituted of body, soul and spirit. If we are made of matter, then we are not much different than the plants and animals. But we know we have a mind that transcends matter. We can remember the past and dream of the future. The spiritual nature of the mind means that we are not just pure matter but we have intellect and will. This is why only human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. So in most religions, there is a continuity of life beyond death. Otherwise, it makes no sense to have religious rites for the dead or even to have a memorial service for the dead. It is a tacit belief that the dead are still in communion with us, that we hold memorial services for the dead and pay respects to them. Do we hold memorial services for the animals we kill, the pigs and cows and the plants we destroy? No, simply because we believe that they are dead and gone back to creation. We do not suggest that animals have a conscience, that they could go to hell.
This is why even in the Old Testament, before faith in the resurrection of the body was developed, the Israelites, like those from their pagan neighbors, held elaborate religious rites for the dead. The Israelites believed that the dead would go to Sheol, a place of non-existence. The first reading from Isaiah, although referring to the restoration of Israel after the exile, is often seen as a prefigurement of the fullness of life after death. Heaven is always described as a banquet in the heavenly Jerusalem where we are gathered with our loved ones in God’s presence. The prophet Isaiah said, “On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines, of food rich and juicy, of fine strained wines.” It is a life of communion with God and with our brothers and sisters, where everyone will feel satisfied not because of food but because they will be so full of joy, peace and love.
Indeed, the first reading is full of hope and assurance of fulfillment. There will be celebrations and no more mourning and weeping or death. “The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; he will take away his people’s shame everywhere on earth, for the Lord has said so.” God will restore the status of His people as God’s children. “On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever.” Of course, at this point, Isaiah was anticipating the truth of the resurrection which was still in its infancy. Knowing that our loved ones who are in purgatory will eventually arrive at this fullness of life, where there is no more suffering, pain, sorrow and death, give us great consolation. This is their ultimate destiny and ours too. This is why, even if some of the departed souls have not yet arrived, we know they will soon.
How can we help them to arrive at the heavenly banquet? We need to accompany them with our love and prayers so that they could let go and let God embrace them. They need the grace to be fully open to the love of God. When they were on earth, they did not yet open themselves completely to the love of God. By our love for them and our prayers, we pray that they will learn to let go of their past, their hurts and attachments so that they can be completely at peace and at rest with the Lord. St Paul tells us that this “Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.” Love will help them to learn to let go and cling on to God.
We need to help them forgive themselves for the mistakes they had made. Very often at death, some depart in pieces because they cannot let go of their failures and negligence in life. This is where they must once again be reminded of the mercy of God in Christ. St Paul says, “We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” St Paul tells us that God has already forgiven us in Christ for He died for us all who are sinners not because we are good. All we need is to own the gift already purchased for us. Indeed, God does not take revenge on us. “Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger?”
So, we should never doubt the price that Christ has paid for our redemption. St Paul wrote, “When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.” Salvation is not by good works. We will never be worthy enough to earn our salvation. Rather, salvation is made possible by Christ. Our good works are but the expression of the depth of our reception of His grace and love. The more we appreciate what Christ has done for us, the more we will repay His love by doing good for His greater glory and for the love of humanity. Those without good works implies that they have not been fully receptive of His gracious love and mercy.
If we are troubled or feel burdened because we cannot forgive ourselves or we feel that our departed loved ones were not able to let go of their resentment or sins at death, then we simply have to come to Jesus for He said, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” This rest is more than mere physical rest but the Sabbath rest, the heavenly rest with God when we find peace of mind and soul. This is what we mean when we pray that the souls will rest in peace. This rest is ours only when we surrender all our sins and failures to the Lord and look at our sins from His perspective. This is why the Lord invites us, “Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” We must put on the yoke of Jesus so that the Lord will carry with us. When we see ourselves, our sinfulness and our weakness with the compassionate, loving and understanding eyes of our Lord, we will not condemn ourselves nor others for ours or their failings. Finding rest comes when we learn to accept our weaknesses and rely on Him.
This requires us to be humble and be docile like children. “Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.” With the humility of a child, we should in faith accept what the Lord has revealed to us. Jesus as the Son of the Father assures us of His Father’s love. “Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Let us therefore surrender our departed loved ones into the mercy of God and His love.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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