The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

But where shall we go
Up, down, a place in between?
Something wonderful!

Wis 3:1-9 / Rom 5:5-11 / Jn 6:37-40

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

"Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me." In just over a week, we will enter into the final year of the centennial of the First World War. There is much we can learn from that conflict, particularly about the dangers of tribalism. But more importantly, we have an obligation to love our brothers and sisters who walked into some very dark valleys. For myself, my thoughts will be with those who fought on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915, a campaign that has long moved me. It is a true example of the pointless, asininity of warfare. Yet also one that highlights the nobility, even beauty, of courage and sacrifice. The paradox of war is that conflict showcases both the worst and the best of what it means to be human. And perhaps nothing sums up the latter better than the words of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk welcoming his former enemies and their loved ones back to the battlefields:

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives … You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours … You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

Let us pray that all who endured the Great War, whichever side they were on, might know "goodness and kindness" and that they "shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come." Amen.

Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalms 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalms 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

Where will death take us? Heaven? Hell? Purgatory? Resurrection? We scour Scripture for answers. We eat up tales of those who claim to have returned from beyond. We twist logic and imagination to the breaking point while formulating the most elaborate visions. Such time and energy, all spent on a fool's folly. Yes, human nature seems to demand such attempts at ripping the veil from the unknown, especially when it is as tantalizing as this. But at some point, it ought to occur to us that it is not our mind that is being tested. No, for the mind cannot answer the right question: Do we trust our Parent? So do you? When it comes to death, be it yours or a loved ones, do you trust God?

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalms 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

"God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us." Our Parent does not see us for who we are during our brief moments on this planet, but for who we will be over an eternity spent in their embrace. Can we, just for one day, make this vision our own? My prayers today are for Erich Priebke, the Nazi war criminal who died last month in Rome and was denied a church funeral. Now, I understand the challenge of loving our enemies while we breathe the same air, but to refuse them mercy and compassion after death? Such spitefulness is shameful! Like it or not, Priebke and all those like him are our brothers and sisters. And we do not get to disown them.

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalms 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40

"Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage." We can say these words because our Parent became one of us, walked beside us, and died like us, so that we would know that death was nothing to fear. They do this all the time, but we don't understand why they do it, so we refuse to see them. Our problem is not sin and our need is not salvation. We are impotent, insecure, and fearful, and we desperately seek hope. It is right here for the taking, so hear me now: we are all God's "holy ones," and their will is that every one of us "shall dwell in the house of the Lord for years to come." So say we all!

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Wisdom 3: 1-9; Romans 6: 3-9; John 6: 37-40

Death is not really death. Our Father desires eternal life for all of her children. That is the "Good News" that Jesus came not just to tell us, but to truly give us. "This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day." Our Father gave Jesus the task of not losing a single one of us. Can we not trust that our Eternal Brother will make good on this task? On this day of all others, let us say "Amen!"