Why love transcends the grave (All Soul's Day)

All Soul’s Day (Lamentations 3:17-26, 1 Corinthians 15:51-57, John 1:23-26)

Today we have the rare opportunity to celebrate All Souls Day on a Sunday, giving us the opportunity to celebrate this feast together. We reflect on the reality of death and in particular remember our beloved departed. As we celebrate this feast, each of us probably have in mind some of our own family members or friends who have died. When we take time to recall our loved ones who have passed away we experience many emotions. A flood a memories - both happy and painful - can come pouring back. Above all, such an exercise reveals a desire that we all hold deep in our hearts: we all yearn to remain in contact with our loved ones who have passed away. At the same time, it is quite natural to fear that death is the end of the story. The first reading from Lamentations alludes to this fear and feeling of “homelessness”. Some people even claim that after you die there is nothingness, a void. This is nothing new; at the time of Jesus there was a lively debate regarding what happens when we die. With His life, death and Resurrection Jesus settled the question once and for all.

Holger Motzkau 2010, Wikipedia/Wikimedia Commons

Because of Christ, we have a secure trust that we maintain a relationship with those who have died. During His life, Jesus declared that the dead would indeed rise again. He proved this fact with His own Resurrection. Jesus promised that if we serve Him, He will raise us up after we die. We need to remember that we believe in the resurrection of the body. We do not think that we will spend all eternity as disembodied spirits hanging out on a cloud playing the harp (actually you couldn’t without a body, but I digress)! St. Paul explains that at the final judgement our perishable bodies will become imperishable. Our resurrected bodies will be like that of Jesus’ own resurrected body that we read about in the gospels. It will be similar to, yet different from, our current bodies. Eventually, at the last judgement, we will be bodily reunited with our loved ones. We will see then and touch them.

Even before the last day, however, we remain in communion with the dead. Human beings are made up of body and soul. St. Thomas Aquinas explained that the soul is the form - the animating energy or principle - of the body.  John Polkinghorne, a theoretical physicist who also happens to be an Anglican priest, explains that the soul is like the blueprint of our existence. This soul, which informs our bodies now, is remembered by God after our death. After death and before the final judgement and the resurrection of our bodies, our souls continue to exist in a certain expectation of the resurrection of the body. The souls of the dead continue to live, not so much in a different place but in a different way. As we read in the book of Wisdom, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God” (Wisdom 3:1). Later our soul becomes the blueprint from which God will reconstitute us, but at a higher pitch. This higher pitch is our resurrected body we receive when Jesus returns at the last day. Since the souls of our loved ones are with God, remembered by Him, we continue to interact with our beloved dead in a real and lively way.

Because we maintain communion with our loved ones after they die, we continue to be able to do acts of love and kindness for them. Death does not cease our ability to help our faithful departed. Here, we come upon the sensitive topic of purgatory. After they die, some friends of God are ready to meet Him immediately. Other friends of God need a time of purification before entering His presence. These days there is a tendency to canonize people at their death. Certainly our deceased loved ones had many fine qualities. At the same time, we know they had their defects, they were human after all! The idea of purgatory makes a lot of sense. Imagine that you were in a pitch black room for many hours and then suddenly walk through the door into incredibly bright daylight. It would take some time for your eyes to adjust and you would even feel some pain and discomfort. Being in the presence of God in heaven is like being face to face with the sun. Purgatory, is that time in which you prepare yourself to be in that light. In fact, many, including the poet Dante, argue that those in purgatory decide how long they will stay there. It is like walking out from a dark room into the sun. You decide when it is safe to open your eyes wide. Because we are in communion with those in Purgatory, we can pray for them to help them enter the presence of God as soon as possible.

All Souls day is a day of hope. We remember that because of the Resurrection of Jesus we can be sure that we maintain union with our loved ones when they pass away. Ultimately, we will be reunited body and soul at the resurrection of the dead. Even before then, their souls are with God. Since we are in union with them, we can still show them love. Let us find some way concrete way to show love and kindness to our faithful departed today by praying for them, offering Mass for their soul or visiting a cemetery.

What to do when Jesus talks tough.

Matthew 22:1-14 (28th Sunday of Ordinary Time)

A while ago I was visiting a new school when the fire alarm went off. The sound of the alarm was incredibly loud, much more piercing than I remembered when I was a student. Even if you covered your ears the sound was so uncomfortable that you couldn't stay in the building. Later on I asked why the alarm was so loud. I learned that all new fire alarms are like that. In the past, alarms would warn people that there was a fire, but some just ignored it and stayed in the building. The purpose of the new alarm was to not only warn people but force them to take action and leave the building. In today’s Gospel, as was the case for the past several weeks, Jesus uses some incredibly strong language. It seems so out of character. Jesus, however, is speaking like this to provoke a similar response as the fire alarms. More than warning us, He uses such strong language to jar us and compel us to take action. Before we can appreciate the danger Jesus warns us against, we need to appreciate the indescribable good that is offered to us.

source, Ben Shumin

God calls all of us to be part of His kingdom. Since “God is love” (1 John 4:16), the kingdom of heaven is the kingdom in which love of God and neighbour, reigns supreme. This kingdom begins here on earth and continues forever in heaven -- “the endless moment of love” (YouCat #158). The YouCat describes heaven in this way:

If you have ever observed a couple looking at each other lovingly or seen a baby nursing who looks for his mother’s eyes as though it wanted to store up every smile forever, then you have some inkling of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven is something of such incredible beauty, that its wonder can only be captured in parables. Jesus explains that the kingdom of heaven is like a wedding banquet, an event which epitomizes love, union, peace and joy. The parable explains that all are invited to this wedding banquet. First the servants, which represent the prophets, are sent to summon the invited guests. The invited guests represent the chief priests, elders and others in good standing in the community of Israel.  Next, the servants are sent into the streets to summon everyone the find, the good and the bad alike. The message is clear. Rich, poor, sinner, or saint, God wants all to be a part of His wonderful heavenly kingdom, both now and for all eternity.

Though all are invited, we need to freely choose to be a part of the kingdom, God forces no one. God's kingdom is one of love and love can never be coerced. Imagine if someone walked up to you dragging behind him four dogs on a leash and said, “look how much my dogs love me, they follow me everywhere I go.”  The statement is ridiculous because the dogs have no choice; there is not love. Jesus’ parable makes it clear that though all are invited, our entrance into the kingdom of heaven is not automatic. We must respond to the invitation. Though some accept the invitation, others reject it in three different ways. 1) Some ignore the invitation, keeping busy with their work. Today it is very tempting to push God out of our lives because we are to busy with other things. 2) Others violently reject the invitation. Now, as was the time with Jesus, people strongly reject God, Jesus and their kingdom of love, peace and mercy by living lives of hatred, violence and greed. 3) Finally, one arrives at the banquet but is rejected because he is not wearing a wedding garment. This detail, which can seem quite confusing, is very significant. This wedding garment symbolizes conversion. Jesus explains that the acceptance of God’s invitation into His kingdom involves more than merely saying “yes”. When we truly chose to be part of the kingdom of heaven, which is God’s love, we begin to change our lives. As the YouCat explains, “The ‘Kingdom of God’ begins in those who allow themselves to be transformed by God’s love” (YouCat 89).

Jesus vigorously warns us regarding what rejecting God’s invitation to His kingdom entails. Here, Jesus’ language becomes quite startling. To those invited guests who mistreated and killed the king’s messengers, we read that: “The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.” Later we read the fate of the one who appear at the banquet without the wedding garment. “Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”  The way Jesus is speaking seems so harsh, jarring and uncharacteristic. Jesus, however, has a good reason for doing this: He is sounding the fire alarm. We need to appreciate what it means to reject God’s invitation to enter His kingdom. If we reject this, we chose to separate ourselves from God both now and for all eternity. Of our own free will, we choose to be in a place where there is no love, goodness, happiness or joy. Simply, we choose hell for ourselves. If a parent sees their child reaching towards a hot element on the stove, they might call to warn the child first. If the child doesn't listen, the parent will shout. If the child still doesn't listen, the parent will run to the child and remove the child from danger. With His strong language, Jesus is trying to protect us from harm. Just like that those new fire alarms, Jesus isn't just trying to warn us of danger, He is trying to compel us to take action.

Jesus has sounded the alarm out love and for our own good. We have two options: cover our ears or take action. Which will be your choice?

One way to get people back to Church

Matthew 21:33-43 (27th Sunday of Ordinary Time)

Recently I watched a panel on the news discuss the question of "why religion is no longer relevant". They offered different reasons explaining why many people no longer prayed, went to Church or even believed in God, including “science makes belief in God obsolete” or “belief in God was just an idea used to control people and is no longer needed.” Watching the discussion, I became frustrated; I wanted to jump through the TV and join the debate myself! The question the panel was discussing is valid and  by no means new. The reality is that people have always, for one reason or another, chosen to exclude God from their lives. The question is, what can we personally do about it? The Gospel of this Sunday provides a clear answer.

Jesus’ parable of the vineyard is a presents Salvation History, which is the story of how God has interacted with humanity, in the form of an allegory. Like any allegory, each character or element in the story corresponds to some reality. We need to unpack this parable in order to properly understand its message. A landowner built a vineyard. Jesus roots his parable in the image from the prophet Isaiah we find in the first reading. God is the landowner. The vineyard is Israel, a people God chose and formed to think, act and love like Him. Since the time of Jesus, the vineyard also refers to the Church. We are the People of God.  The landowner protected the the vineyard with a hedge and watchtower. This means that God always watches over His People and protects them. Since the purpose of the vineyard was to produce wine, the owner placed in it a wine-press. He then leased it to tenants and went on a journey. We, the tenants are meant to produce something, we have a purpose and mission. After some time, the landowner sends servants to gather in the the produce. These servants represent the prophets and leaders that God who who challenge and encourage us to do the mission God has given us. The tenants, however, brutally reject these messengers. Throughout history, we too often reject those God has sent who call us to conversion. Finally, the landowner sends his son, who the tenants seize, drag out of the vineyard and kill. This son is Jesus Christ, who was dragged out out of Jerusalem and crucified on Calvary. This, of course, was not the end of the story. Jesus did not remain in the tomb, but rose again, taking control of the vineyard.

Christ and Saint Mina. 6th-century icon from Bawit, Egypt, now in the Louvre, source

This parable reveals to us, the People of God, our role in Salvation History. Notice that the tenants were not told to hang out in the vineyard, sit on lawn chairs and relax while eating grapes! No, the tenants were supposed to produce wine. The landowner sends his servants and ultimately his son to ensure this happens. When the tenants still refuse to do their job, the vineyard is given to other tenants who will follow through. We have been given a mission. Like wine, our lives are meant to be something good and enticing.  When we live as Jesus wants, by striving to become holy, we should become like magnets. People should see our joy and peace and desire to have the same thing in their lives. Simply by the way we live as followers of Jesus, we should draw people closer to God. In carrying out this mission, we do not act as God’s puppets. We are tenants. God trusts us and gives us freedom. It is a privilege to be able to participate in God’s work of salvation. Though we are not puppets, we are also not in charge. In killing the landowner’s son, the tenants wanted to take control of the vineyard for themselves. Humanity’s great temptation is to push God out of the picture and try to take control of nature and civilization. We want to make the rules and say what we should be doing with our lives. The reality is that we are tenants, all we have is a gift from God: nature, our bodies, our mind, our creativity and our talents. We are given these things in order to fulfill God’s mission. If we refuse to carry it out, He will find other people who will do so.

We need to face the fact that one reason why numerous people exclude Jesus and the Church from their lives is because we are not living lives that draw people closer to God. Going back to that panel I heard on the news, we could say that some people find religion irrelevant because we, the vineyard's tenants, are not producing abundant wine. How do we convince people that God is relevant and they should follow Jesus? The parable of the vineyard gives a clear answer: live a holy life. Arguing and finger-wagging will not get people to go to Church or to pray. Consider saints such as St. Francis or Mother Teresa who produced such great wine in their life. In their lives people saw a glimpse of Jesus and were drawn to follow him. Do our lives have the same effect on people? Jesus’ parable of the vineyard provokes us to answer a simple question, “does the way I live attract people closer to Jesus and the Church or not?” Bl. John Henry Newman composed a beautiful prayer called Radiating Christ. It expresses in a beautiful way the desire we should have to produce in our lives good wine that draws people closer to God. Today let us ask God for the strength to do this.

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance wherever I go.

Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly, that my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me, and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with may feel Your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine, so to shine as to be a light to others.

The light, O Jesus, will be all from You; none of it will be mine.

It will be you, shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.

Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example, by the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,

the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.

Amen.