20231102 DEATH A REMEDY FOR SIN AND SUFFERING
02 November 2023, Thursday, All Souls
First Reading Isaiah 25:6–96 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.” Responsorial Psalm |
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 |
Matthew 11:25-30 © |
You have hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little 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. 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.
‘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.’
DEATH A REMEDY FOR SIN AND SUFFERING
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ISAIAH 25:6-9; ROMANS 5:5-11; MATTHEW 11:25-30]
Many of us are fearful of death and not able to let go of our loved ones when the time comes. St Paul tells us that the wages of sin is death. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23) As a consequence, we tend to see death as a punishment from God as it was not part of nature. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned.” (Rom 5:12) Death came into this world through Adam who caused us all to sin and suffer death. From this perspective, death is seen as a penalty for our sins. We must therefore turn away from this useless and futile life we are living.
But in truth, death is the grace of God because if we do not suffer death, then our life will be condemned forever because we carry sin in our body. And because of sin, we suffer misery, anger, resentment, fear, selfishness and revenge. We are never at peace with ourselves. Evil abounds in the world and in humanity simply because of sin. Death therefore was decreed by God as a remedy for the evils in this world. There will come a time when evil will end. This is what St Paul said, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘All things are put in subjection,’ it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1Cor 15:9-28)
This is why in the light of faith, death is not something for us to be avoided 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 1:13f) 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.
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) St Paul wrote, “when this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled. ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15:54-56) His death for us is 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)
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.
Indeed, Jesus shows us the way to die. He was not ashamed of death nor did He run away from death. He went to meet death calmly and courageously. Death was not something that was seen negatively by Him but the way to eternal life. If death was something evil, He would have avoided it and found a better way to save us all. But He knew that the only way to conquer death was to face death. In Christ, death is therefore no longer a cause for mourning but it is the cause of our salvation.
By His dying to life, we find life to the fullest because of His resurrection. His death teaches us to let go of this world, our attachment to this life. Jesus assures us that death is not the end but the beginning of new life. That is why in Christ we find the remedy to conquer death. By dying with Christ, accepting our finitude, learning to let go of this world, we will be reunited with Him in heaven and with all the saints who have arrived before us; and those souls waiting to be purified before they could enter heaven.
This explains why St Paul in his dilemma of whether to stay alive on earth or to be with our Lord in heaven, could say, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer.” I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (Philo 1:21-23) St Paul understood that his real home was in heaven, to be with the Lord. This is what the psalmist says as well. “There is one thing I ask of the Lord, for this I long, to live in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, to savour the sweetness of the Lord, to behold his temple. O Lord, hear my voice when I call; have mercy and answer. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face. I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!”
Our hope must therefore be in God alone. It is this that will help us to accept the trials and challenges of life. The way to overcome the fear of death is to grow in union with the Lord, sharing in His joy and love. When our life is focused on the Lord, then we do not fear death but welcome death when it comes because we know, as St Paul tells us, that our home is in heaven. “But 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, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.” (Phil 3:20f)
However, for our sake, he said, “but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.” (Phil 1:24-26) In the final analysis, our life on earth is to do good and be a blessing to others. He said, “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Phil 1:20) So like St Paul, we must not desire to die, or worse still, to take our life just because we feel our life is miserable. Rather, we must use this life to praise God by being of service to others, by dying to ourselves, by allowing Christ to be manifested in us, for that is what saints are called to do.
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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