33rd Sunday - Fr. Leo
We are approaching the end of the liturgical year. This is why the end times and what they may be like is the subject of our scriptures. At Christ’s second coming, comes the end of life in this world with continued life in the next. In that moment death and resurrection reach their destiny in the new life of grace beyond this world.
This all fits with this month’s celebrations of All Saints, All Souls, and our remembering deceased loved ones. All these themes call us to reflect on our own death. Something that can make us uncomfortable. But, just as the seasons change, so does our growing older bring us to a different place. We who were once young, strong, vibrant and quick of mind can look at our hands and see the skin isn’t as supple and unwrinkled as it once was. I noticed this young, in my parents hands and knew theirs were once like mine, and that mine would one day be like theirs.
It’s important that we face the reality of death because it is an opportunity to grow in our faith as we come to anticipate with joyful expectation of the gift of death. As Christians, we live to die in Christ that we may rise with him.
Many are the saints who befriended death and lived in its peaceful anticipation. St. Francis of Assisi referred to death as a brother. And countless others prayed and longed for a holy death as a great gift from God. So we too, would be wise to reflect on death and prepare for it spiritually as we pray for a Holy Death. Embracing death makes each moment of life a tremendous gift.
Contemplating death need not be a morbid or scary thing! When we embrace it in faith, there comes a great peace knowing that, that day will come and our journey here will end and we will begin our fuller and eternal lives in God.
We who are older may be more comfortable with death. Part of that is because we have experienced the loss of many we have loved deeply. Over time, we heal and come to know they are with God and that we will follow. In a sense they who have died have opened the door for us and help take the sting out of death. We believe they are with God and we believe in the second coming we will join them.
There is a theological nuance I am making with the teaching of the second coming. We teach of the physical coming of the Lord when there will be earthquakes and flames of fire. That may be, but in another real sense our second coming will be when we meet the Lord upon death. Our bodies are no more, but our souls move on and move into intimacy with God forever.
At that moment, we will know fully the meaning of the doctrine of the Communion of Saints. In God’s spirit we are all one. Even now we can come to realize our deceased loved ones are still with us. In prayer we move beyond space and time where past, present and future are all one. In God are all one, and as our faith grows we come to know through grace that we and all things are part of that same oneness.
So let us embrace death past, present and future, knowing that one day we will see and experience God’s timeless oneness. Let us pray for the grace to live with joy in such a profound mystery.