As we near the end of the Church's liturgical year, the
readings become more eschatological -- having to do with the end times, its
more about our life after death. In today's readings, we look briefly the
question of the resurrection and the character of the life we are to live in
anticipation of it. A common
question that people 2000 years ago and now are still asking, "is there
life after death?". In today's gospel, the Sadducees who did not believe
in resurrection confront Jesus with their ridiculous story of an unfortunate
woman who had married and then lost seven husbands. They did not start with the
real issue, namely belief in life after death and the consequences of our daily
decisions in determining life after death. They were trying to fool Jesus but Jesus
was very clear about his teachings. Jesus
reply was very direct, he said "there is life after death and God is the
God, not of the dead but of the living." In
the first reading we see a mother and her sons die for what they believed and
they believed that God will rise them up. They were ready to bear any suffering
for their faith because they knew their life is safe in the hands of God.
I was 11 when cancer took my mum's life. My
brother was 5 years old. I thought life is ended and my family
felt emptiness for the first time, we felt darkness inside us, we felt
silence in our home. I remember that night when everyone left after funeral, my
father, brother and myself sat in the porch looking at the stars believing that
one of it must be our mother. I know it's not only my experience, it's the
experience of many of you who are hearing me today. You might have felt or
still feeling the same pain, emptiness and darkness after the death of your
beloved one or ones.
But in all these emptiness, darkness something
gave us hope that was our faith, our faith in resurrection, our faith on life
after death and our belief that we all will meet all again. I remember I asked my aunt, what
happened to my mum? Did she become dust and gone forever? She told me that, be
strong John, do good things, one day, we would meet again and she's alive with
our Lord. This gave me hope to live and live a good life. Pope Francis says, it
is beautiful “to think of Heaven, all of us will meet there, everyone. It is
beautiful; it gives strength to the soul.
Why we
have gathered today around this altar, it’s because we believe in life after
death and we believe that we are making preparation to heaven by celebrating and
leading a good life. And if we believe in life after death church would like us
to reflect how much preparations we are making in our lives? How mindful we are
about our life after death.
one of my friends shared how her dad became catholic: her dad was not a believer and his actions she thought will not take him to heaven. On a
thanksgiving day when everyone was around the dining table, she asked him, dad if one day we all die and go to heaven and
if you are not there what will be our feeling. He had a realization that he was
not making steps by doing good things to be in heaven with his family. The next
Sunday he went to the church, received baptism and started a good life.
The
thought about life after death inspires us to lead a good life. Many people
have changed their bad life just thinking of their death and life after death. Since there is
life after death and we believe so, we seriously need to think of the character
of life we are to live in anticipation of the life after death. In the 1st
reading, the moral messages it contained is that the brothers would rather die
than to sin. They believe that after Death, God will raise them up. We learn
from the 2nd reading, "May God strengthen you in everything good that you
do or say. This is how we should prepare our character of life. Do good in what
you do and say and eternal life is waiting for you.
Franciscan spirituality is a spirituality which preaches joy
of resurrection and life after death. I remember a story from St. Francis, one
day, friars prepared a delicious meal. And Francis asked one of the friars to
bring some ashes. He poured in his food and started eating food. One of the
friars asked Francis, we prepared delicious food and you are spoiling it with
ashes. Francis said if I enjoy this food, my body will be happy but my soul
will be week. Even in eating St. Francis was mindful about his life after death
and cautiously taking each actions in preparations for it.
Pope Francis said "the Good News of the Resurrection
should shine on our face, in our feelings and in our behavior, in the way in
which we treat others.” Let us be people of resurrection and be mindful each
day about our actions which will lead to life eternal.
Related with today’s readings, I am giving you two
questions:
How mindful we
are about our life after death? How much preparations we are making to join our
family members in heaven?
Fr. John Pozhathuparambil OFMConv.
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