Most Reverend Vincent Long Van Nguyen OFM Conv DD STL, Bishop of Parramatta
Homily for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day)
Readings: Wisdom4:7-15; 1Corinthians15:51-57; Matthew25: 31-46
Grace and mercy await God’s righteous
Dear friends,
One of the most defining and endearing features of our Catholic faith is the belief in the communion between the living and the dead. Yesterday, we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints who lived the Beatitudes of Christ and followed him on the path of faithful discipleship. Today, we express our communion with those who are still in the process of purification before the beatific vision. We remember them in the celebration of All Souls. The bonds of love between the living and the dead are not broken by death. Our love for them and their love for us endure. Sadness, sorrow, grief may fill us the living, but that is a reminder of their presence and love in our lives.
The Word of God today gives us comfort, hope and strength as we move forward in our pilgrimage of faith. In the first reading, the Book of Wisdom affirms that in God’s sight, it is not the length of years, nor the good things of this world that determine the worth of the person. God does not judge by appearances. “Length of days is not what makes age honourable”.
I knew about a person who died after a short life riddled with birth defects and health battles. In fact, the fact that he lived at all was a miracle because doctors didn’t believe he could make it to birth. Yet in his short life, he lived with dignity, love and he gave much joy and purpose in return.
Life is a gift from God and nothing that God gives or does is ever wasted. Whether our lives did not make it out of the womb or we live to be 110, we are important in God’s eyes. It’s not quantity of time and is not even quality of life; it’s about being – being a child of God. It is how we live and share the gift of life that God has given us. The Book of Wisdom speaks of righteousness as the aim of God’s chosen. When we live in righteousness, grace and mercy await us.
We can hear echoes of the Old Testament’s wisdom in the way Jesus critiques the ruling elites of his time. He often condemns them for being more concerned about appearances such as status and power than integrity, justice and love. For him, the ultimate requirement, the litmus test of authentic discipleship has to do with service and especially service rendered with humility to the vulnerable and the outcast.
The Gospel parable of the final judgment makes this litmus test crystal clear. The king does not judge his subjects on any other criteria than their ability to recognise and serve him in their fellow human beings. The parable subverts our idea of who and what constitutes the ideal, the normative and the worthy. The more deserving of God’s loving embrace turn out to be the ones we often neglect and reject.
In Jesus who surrounds himself with the outcast, we see a God of solidarity and vulnerability. In Jesus, we meet a God who disturbs our comfort and pushes us out to the periphery to be with the least of his brothers and sisters. For Matthew and the early Christian community, it is faith-in-action that stands us in good stead at the end of time. True discipleship consists in living out its demands, especially the duty of care to the least and the last, the disadvantaged and the forgotten.
Dear friends,
Our lives are a reflection of God and his love. Those who have passed whom we remember today somehow reflected that love. They are never gone they still live in us. Whether one month, six months, a year, 10 or even 50 years…they live on in our minds and hearts. They have touched us, formed us and changed us. But also know that we have touched them, formed them and changed them. Our love for them is what helps them through life and into eternal life. The bonds of humanity are not broken by death. We remember them and they still remember us while enjoying the fruits of eternal life. Their love for you helps you with this life as you journey to eternal life. Sadness, sorrow, grief may fill us today, but that is a reminder of their presence and love in our lives
Some of us here are still carrying the memory of a deceased spouse, parent, child, or best friend deep in your hearts. Whatever the situation, you know the pain of loss. You are keenly aware of the grief we experience at the death of a loved one. You know how hard it is to say goodbye, to re-engage with life when there is a gnawing emptiness within, a gaping wound which awaits healing.
The bonds of love are not broken by death. “The life and death of each of us has its influence on others” says St Paul. May our memory of them and their communion with us continue to give meaning, purpose and direction to our lives. May Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life guide us on our pilgrim way until the day we are united with all our deceased loved ones in his Kingdom.
