In the month of November, I would like to spend some time with you to talk about the things that have to do with life eternal.
Death, judgement, heaven, and hell – the four last things in Catholic thought. We are still in the Octave of the Solemnity of All Saints, and the commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – All Souls. Many of us have said prayers at cemeteries. This Sunday’s readings have front and center a reality that is eternal - the reality of the resurrection. Pope St. Paul VI wrote in one document, that the faithful, “while raising their minds to heaven…bring a wiser order into the things of this world” (Pope St. Paul VI, Indulgentiarum Doctrina, 8, Jan. 1, 1967). So, let us consider a thing of heaven – the resurrection – so that we may wisely order our behaviour here on this earth.
The first reading, from the Book of Maccabees, have seven brothers and their mother ready to die a martyr’s death, rather than disobey the Jewish Law, and eat pork. The issue here is not that eating pork or bacon is wrong or immoral. The issue was that for these pious and observant Jews, God’s law said that they could not eat swine’s meat – and this law was to be obeyed above and beyond anything that the king’s representatives, or even king Antiochus himself, ordered. It is useful to note that King Antiochus claimed himself to be divine (La Bibbia – Via Verita e Vita, Paoline, 2012, p. 1105) and so, claimed divine authority. Yet for the seven martyrs, the law of God, the real and only God, in this very important area of Jewish faith, was more important than the command given by earthly rulers. These seven martyrs gave their lives because they believed in the resurrection and were sure that the King of the universe would raise them again, because they remained faithful to His commandments.
The Gospel, in which our Lord speaks of the resurrection, carries forward the teaching that we will all be raised on the last day. As Jesus says in the Gospel of John: “the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). My brothers and sisters, do we believe in the resurrection? This is not just a hypothetical question. According to the latest census data, released at the end of October, more than 1 in 3 Canadians either do not identify with any religious group, or label themselves as agnostic, atheist, humanist, or secular. These are the “nones” as they are called, the ones claiming no faith. If you are a “none,” then the question of the resurrection remains unanswered. If there is no resurrection, brothers and sisters, then many of our fellow citizens and neighbours probably believe that this life is it. You need to find fulfillment, you need to find affirmation and meaning in this life only, because the existence of life after death, and the resurrection, is a big question mark.
We are Christian people, and our belief in the resurrection sets us free from undue anxiety and fear. We have it on the Lord Jesus’ authority that the dead will be raised, like He was raised after his Passion, the first Adam. Belief in the resurrection also sets us free from an undue attachment to this life, and an undue fear of death. We are but pilgrims here. As the psalm says, “The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong… they are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90, NRSV). Yes indeed, we have a limited amount of time on this earth, and then we “fly away”. With a perspective of the resurrection, you do not need to find fulfillment in this life nor do you need to go through a bucket list of things to accomplish, after which you’ll be truly happy. The trials or disappointments that we experience at times, but also the joys and the successes, gain their proper perspective – a perspective of eternity. This existence is not all that we have. In addition, a belief in the resurrection also helps us to keep front and center in our minds that only God is God. No civil authorities, no multibillionaire globalists, no scientific experts can claim to be infallible, require blind obedience, and usurp to themselves the power to dictate to consciences. A belief in the resurrection enables our brothers and sisters to testify to their faith in Christ, even to the point of shedding their blood. Today, we observe the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. To quote from a report: “Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world today, the severity of persecution is increasing, persecuted Christians are some of the poorest people on the planet, and 360 million Christians live in countries where persecution is significant… on average, every day: 16 Christians are killed for their faith; 14 churches /Christian buildings are attacked; 17 Christians are unjustly arrested, detained, or imprisoned 10 Christians are abducted for faith-related reasons” (https://capc.life/). To believe in the resurrection is to trust that Christ will raise the martyrs who died professing His name.
The Evil One, whom St. Paul talks about in the second reading, will try to extinguish in us the fire of faith in the resurrection. He will try to keep us focused only on this life – this earth – this reality. He will distract us, tempt us, entertain us, sedate us, or keep us in a constant state of agitation, so that we don’t think about the four last things: death, judgement, heaven, and hell. To counter his threats, we need to call upon Mary, the Mother of God.
Mother Mary, the Blessed Virgin, is the mother of the Resurrected One, Jesus Christ. When doubts come in our life of faith, when darkness appears, when temptations arrive, let us call upon Her intercession. Let us ask Her in a particular way to give us that perspective of eternity which we need while going along the pilgrimage of life. From the perspective of eternity our biggest failures and sufferings are not so overwhelming, and our biggest successes and joys are not so satisfying. We ask for your intercession, glorious Mother of God.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, Nov. 6, 2022)