20221102 BE HAPPY FOR OUR DEPARTED LOVED ONES
02 NOVEMBER 2022, WEDNESDAY, ALL SOULS
First reading | Wisdom 3:1-9 © |
The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God
The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,
no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise, they did appear to die,
their going looked like a disaster,
their leaving us, like annihilation;
but they are in peace.
If they experienced punishment as men see it,
their hope was rich with immortality;
slight was their affliction, great will their blessings be.
God has put them to the test
and proved them worthy to be with him;
he has tested them like gold in a furnace,
and accepted them as a holocaust.
When the time comes for his visitation they will shine out;
as sparks run through the stubble, so will they.
They shall judge nations, rule over peoples,
and the Lord will be their king for ever.
They who trust in him will understand the truth,
those who are faithful will live with him in love;
for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) © |
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
If I should walk in the valley of darkness, no evil would I fear, for you are there with me.
Second reading | Romans 5:5-11 © |
Now we have been reconciled by the death of his Son, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son
Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. 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. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? 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.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn6:39 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
It is my Father’s will, says the Lord,
that I should lose nothing of all he has given to me,
and that I should raise it up on the last day.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 7:11-17 © |
The only son of his mother, and she a widow
Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.
BE HAPPY FOR OUR DEPARTED LOVED ONES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; Luke 7:11-17]
Many of us are not able to let go of our loved ones when the time comes. No matter how old or young they are, how sickly or in the prime of health, retired or working, our attachment to them makes it difficult for us to let them go when the Lord calls them. So we cry not only when someone young is taken by the Lord but as well those in their old age. Some of us can even fall into depression when our loved ones, spouse, parents or grandparents leave us. We are angry with God for taking them from us. Some even blame God on account of their death, and lose faith in Him, especially when the person is especially close to them.
It is in this context that the gospel provides us a new perspective. Jesus invites us to come and learn from Him. “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. 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.” Through the eyes of our Lord, we are asked to look at death not according to our limited understanding but through the eyes and wisdom of God. Only then, can we find rest not just for our souls but the souls of our departed ones because when they see us unable to let go of them to be with the Lord, they feel with us and suffer with us. We must learn to let them go in peace. This is what we always say at every death, “May he/she rest in peace.”
So how are we to look at death from God’s perspective? We must be docile. In the gospel, the Lord said “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. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.” We must put aside our pride and arrogance. Unless we are ready to listen and look at death from His perspective, we cannot learn from Him or carry His yoke with Him. As the Lord said, only the humble of heart can find rest for their souls. If we are resentful against God for taking our loved ones away, the first step is to learn humility and put aside all our preconceived ideas about God and His will, and why He was so unkind to let our loved ones die. The truth and wisdom of God can only be understood not with the intellect but also with the heart, with faith and love. Children do not always understand what we tell them but they are always receptive and gracious. They are willing to put aside their ideas and are receptive to new insights. Not the clever and the learned! They want everyone to fit into their opinions and views. They think they have all the answers. For such people, God cannot reveal His truth and wisdom to them.
Secondly, we must rely on the Lord alone because Jesus is the Son of the Father. “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.” In John’s gospel, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30) St John wrote, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.” (Jn 1:17f) So only Jesus can reveal to us the heart of the Father and His wisdom and plan for us all. Jesus as the Word of God reveals to us all the mysteries of life.
This is what Vatican II affirms, “Nevertheless, in the face of the modern development of the world, the number constantly swells of the people who raise the most basic questions or recognize them with a new sharpness: what is man? What is this sense of sorrow, of evil, of death, which continues to exist despite so much progress? What purpose have these victories purchased at so high a cost? What can man offer to society, what can he expect from it? What follows this earthly life? The Church firmly believes that Christ, who died and was raised up for all, can through His Spirit offer man the light and the strength to measure up to his supreme destiny. She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history.” (Gaudium et spes, 10)
The ultimate answer is found in the death and resurrection of our Lord. St Paul made it clear, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ.” (1 Cor 15:13-15) Christ’s death overcomes our fear of death. By dying, He has defeated death as the last enemy of man. (1 Cor 15:26) His death for us our victory sign and by His resurrection, He removes the sting of death. “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Cor 15:55)
This is why in the light of faith, death is not something for us to avoid or to be feared. If Jesus, the Son of God did not fear death, we should follow His example. Indeed, death was never part of God’s plan. The book of Wisdom says, “God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things so that they might exist.” (Wis 13:13f) Death was prescribed as a remedy for the sins of man. Otherwise, because of sin, man would be condemned to perpetual labour and suffering on this earth. Death is the only way to destroy evil. Death restores to human beings what our sins have lost. Without God’s grace, a life without end would be more like in hell than in heaven. God allows death to help us to be restored to fullness of life with Him.
How, then, can we overcome the fear of death? St Paul was not afraid of death. He said, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.” (Phil 1:21) If we fear death, it is because we fear God. We do not yet know Him or love Him to desire to be with Him forever. If we want to overcome our fear of death, then like St Paul, we should live with Him. Then we will desire to die with Him as we transcend our attachment to this earthly life. Only God’s grace can enlighten us and set us free to look towards death so that we can be with Christ. This foretaste of God’s love, is given to us already in the Holy Spirit. He wrote, “Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us.” With a deep encounter of the Holy Spirit, we will be set free from bondage.
We overcome our fear of death and punishment by clinging to our faith in Christ’s forgiveness. St Paul says, “We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. What proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. 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.” In Christ, we know our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled with the Father.
St Paul is certain, that “our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory.” (Phil 3:20f) King David prayed, “One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” (Ps 27:4) The psalmist says, “I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.” This is what the prophet Isaiah says about living in God’s house. “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.” In God’s house, our departed loved ones will be enjoying the peace, joy, happiness and fullness of life in God’s presence. There will be no more sorrow. “On this mountain he will remove the mourning veil covering all peoples, and the shroud enwrapping all nations, he will destroy Death for ever. 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.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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