All Souls Day: Commemoration of the Faithful Departed

Today's Scripture Readings

Wisdom 3: 1-9 (NRSV)

But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be a disaster,
and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
For though in the sight of others they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them forever.
Those who trust in him will understand truth,
and the faithful will abide with him in love,
because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones,
and he watches over his elect.

Psalm 130 (BCP., p.784)


John 5:24-27 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

"Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. "

Blog Reflection

In the Catechism (An Outline of the Faith) in The Book of Common Prayer, page 862 we read the following.

Q.  Why do we pray for the dead?
A.  We pray for them, because we still hold them in our love, and because we trust that in God's presence those who have chosen to serve him will grow in his love, until they see him as he is.

Over these past 4 years, I have come to believe that Jesus Christ came to put a face and a name on the marginalized of society and the Church.  In His time of ministry and living on earth, and our own. When Jesus raised the Jarius' daughter from the dead (see Matthew 9:18-26, Luke 8;40-56), the widows son (see Luke 7:11-17) and Lazarus (see John 11:38-44), He put a name and a face on the dead.  He declared that the dead were not sleeping in hopelessness.  When Jesus Himself rose from the dead, He showed Himself to be the conqueror of death for all humankind.   Hence the words from the optional reading from 1 Corinthians 15:55,,, "Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O Death, is your sting?"

In another question and answer found in the Catechism in The Book of Common Prayer on the same page 862 we read this:

Q.  What, then, is our assurance as Christians?
A.  Our assurance as Christians is that nothing, not even death, shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

We remember the souls of the faithful departed today, because God loves them, and we love them.   We remember how each person brought us closer to God in one way or another.  Many of the relationships we had with those who have gone before us were not perfect.  Their deaths may have been tragic, their illnesses just devastating to them and those who loved them.  But, our Faith in Jesus Christ tells us that there is hope for them, and all of us.  We all have a chance today to remember them, and to be inspired by the ways in which they touched our hearts and made this world a better place in one way or another.   How they may have helped us to think of another first, and ourselves second to last.

While I am thankful for all the souls I can remember today, I want to write of a particular one that has touched me over this past month.  

Many years ago, I was honored to meet Brad.  He was a young man living in Pennsylvania.  A few years back he moved from Pennsylvania to Florida, because he fell in love with Stephen.   When he and Stephen created their relationship together, Brad became part of Stephen's larger family.  Brad took on the responsibilities of helping Stephen's son get to school, cleaning the house, doing the family laundry and just giving of himself to Stephen as much as he could.  

Last May, Stephen was diagnosed with cancer between the esophagus and the stomach.  At the point he was diagnosed, Stephen told Brad that he knew that Stephen's illness would be very difficult for Brad.  Stephen gave Brad the opportunity to leave Stephen, and to make himself happy with someone who would probably live a lot longer than Stephen would, because his cancer needed a lot of chemo therapy and visits to the hospital, and there was no promise that the cancer would not kill Stephen.  Brad responded to Stephen saying: "If you are going to fight this battle, I am going to fight it right along with you."  Brad made sure that Stephen got to the hospital for his chemo therapy, and had anything he needed.  Brad took extra special care of the family back home, including being there for Stephen's son who struggled so much with his dad's health and possibility of his death.  

On Thursday, October 10th, Stephen Phillips died, losing his battle with cancer.   Brad called me to talk to me, and to invite me to share in his grief.   I was so honored and privileged to be able to do that for him.  At that time of Stephen's death, his family had adopted Brad, accepted their relationship and had no problems making sure that Brad would have possession of his urn which just arrived earlier this week.

I am so very proud of Brad.  He has taught me the meaning of Benedictine humility without even having read or understood The Rule.  He has also put the Tools for Good Works, also a Chapter of The Rule to good use.  Because of Brad's total giving of himself for the life and love of Stephen, he has given me courage and helped me know how urgent it is for me to pray that I will always be ready to do for Jason, what Brad did for Stephen.  Brad lived into the meaning of "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, till death do us part."  May I and others who are married and/or partnered be given such exemplary grace to live into our love for others, in particular our spouses.   If that is not a validation of the strength and power of the love between same-sex couples, I don't know what else could be.

May we remember today and always those souls who continue to teach us how to live the Gospel, by following the example of Jesus as faithfully as we can.

Amen.


Prayers

Eternal Lord God, you hold all souls in life: Give to your
whole Church in paradise and on earth your light and your
peace; and grant that we, following the good examples of
those who have served you here and are now at rest, may at
the last enter with them into your unending joy; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for the Departed, Book of Common Prayer, p. 253).