But they are in peace

The Sundays of November, the last ones of the liturgical year, host four extraordinary liturgical celebrations: The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, the Feast of the Lateran Basilica, the Solemnity of Christ the King, and the First Sunday of Advent. On this Sunday’s Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, the church gives many options for the readings. The selections discussed here are the ones most often recited at funerals to honor the deceased.   

This Sunday’s first reading, from the Book of Wisdom in the Old Testament, is often selected by grieving families for the sense of comfort that the opening verses provide. “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace” (Wis 3:1-3). There is one verse that is usually omitted due to lack of understanding: “In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble” (Wis 3:7). This is unfortunate because the verse remains hopeful and filled with promise. The term “visitation” speaks of a time of judgment or divine review of the life lived by the deceased. Since God’s verdict is filled with mercy, the author of the Book of Wisdom has every confidence that the deceased will pass inspection. These faithful departed become like stars in the night sky who help to guide the living on their pilgrimage through life.

Today’s psalm also provides the image of a comforting guide for those in distress. “Even though I walk in the valley of darkness,” cries the sojourner, “I fear no evil; for you are at my side (Ps 23:4). Many know a different version of this famous verse, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The complicated Hebrew allows a variety of translations, but all of them evoke a sense of imminent danger and a cry for protection. At a funeral, this psalm has the potential to help the faithful think of death not as an ending of life’s journey but as a pause, during which God is at one’s side. Another helpful way to approach Psalm 23 is to consider its concern with one’s quality of life and present safety. “Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life,” says the pilgrim in the safety of his eternal guide (Ps 23:6).

Eternal life is Jesus’ focus in this Sunday’s Gospel. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day” (Jn 6:40). These thoughts on eternal life come from Jesus’ famous “Bread of Life” sermon (Jn 6:22-59). Like this Sunday’s psalm, a discussion of being alive and of the continuation of life beyond death occurs within a feeding scene, a banquet of sorts, when Jesus feeds a large crowd with five loaves and a few fish (Jn 6:1-15), reinforcing the idea that Jesus provides a new kind of manna from heaven. Being fed from heaven, he claims, begins during earthly life but continues even after death. 

Do we believe this? A belief in eternal life requires profound faith. These are the fundamental topics asked of any catechumen who wishes to enter the church. In the month of November, parishes usually begin a rite of welcome and acceptance for those who wish to enter fully into the sacramental life of the church next Easter. The ceremony includes the question, “What do you ask of God’s Church?” The candidate may respond, “Faith.” This is followed by a second question, “What does faith offer you?” To which the new sojourner responds, “Eternal life.”

The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed reminds us not only that our loved ones shine like stars, beckoning us to eternal life in the merciful hands of God, but that our own commitment to the fundamentals of the faith may inspire a renewed hope in those who sojourn with us in earthly life.