St. Luke Parish \u2013 Mass of Remembrance
Wisdom 3:1-6, 9
Psalm 103
Romans 8:31-35, 37-39
Matthew 11:25-30
November 2, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is Fall\noutside. That should be obvious. The leaves have been changing colors. The grass has stopped growing. The gardens are dying off. Birds have migrated. Compared to a few months ago, nature seems\nbarren of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet, we know\nthis is part of the natural cycle of life. \n What is becoming barren now will\nbloom again with new life when Spring comes. \n\u201cWe flower and we fade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So it is too\nwith human life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is in this\nmonth of November when nature seems barren of life in the northern hemisphere that\nour church calls us to have a special time of prayer for the dead. This is why November is a month of praying\nfor the dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also why\nwe choose this time of year to offer this annual Mass of Remembrance as we pray\nfor the dead, especially those who have died in the last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of them\ndied almost a year ago, others more recently. \nEveryone grieves differently and at their own pace. Even people in the same family may be at\ndifferent points in their grieving. The\ncircumstances of the death, whether it be from age, illness, or an accident\nalso impact our grieving. As Wisdom\nsays, \u201ctheir passing away was thought an\naffliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever led\nto their death, we may feel we are separated from them now. Paul speaks of what might \u201cseparate us from the love of Christ?<\/em>\u201d Death is among the things he considers but\ndeath does not separate us from Christ. \nIn fact, death from this world can lead us to the fullness of God\u2019s\npresence in Heaven for our hope is \u201cfull\nof immortality.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We might fear\nthe consequences of sins but \u201cnot\naccording to our sins does God deal with us.<\/em>\u201d Rather God \u201cdid not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all<\/em>.\u201d Jesus died for us. There is the love of Christ. There is our hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is Jesus\u2019\nsacrifice on the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins that we celebrate in\nMass. When we offer a funeral Mass, the\nintention for that Mass is for our loved one\u2019s time in Purgatory to be swift. When we offer a Mass intention for our loved\none, it is not just a way of honoring them. \nIt is to pray for them in Purgatory. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know\nhow long one is in Purgatory but it is a good place even though it involves\npain. It is good because, if we are\nthere, we know we will make it to Heaven. \nPurgatory exists to cleanse us of the effects of our sins (already\nforgiven).<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, today\u2019s\nMass is offered for all those who have died in the last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We also pray\nfor ourselves. As I said before, each\nperson might be in a different place in the grieving process. The loss of a loved one can feel like a\nburden. Here I turn to Jesus\u2019 words in\nthe gospel today, \u201cCome to me, all you\nwho labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We might feel\nlabored and burdened with grief. How do\nwe find rest from the burden of grief? \nThere is a saying, \u201ctime heals all wounds.\u201d The grieving process naturally takes time but\nwhat really gives us \u201crest<\/em>\u201d from our\ngrief? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hope that\nwe have in Jesus. Hope that comes\nknowing that Jesus loves us enough to die for us on the Cross. Hope that comes in knowing that Jesus rose\nand that He promises that all who believe in him as \u201cthe way and the truth and the life<\/em>\u201d will share in the\nResurrection. We may be separated from\nour deceased loved ones now but we will be reunited in Heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you count\nthe number of words about death and hope I have said today, one would probably\nfind that in quantity I have spoken more words about death but it has not been\nmy intent to speak about death. The\nwhole purpose of ALL my words today has been hope<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I have only\ntalked about death in the context of \u201cWhen pain and sorrow weigh us down\u201d\n(verse 1 \u201cEye Has Not Seen) to talk about hope. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hope is what faith\nis about. Hope changes the way we look\nat things, most especially death. Hope\npoints us beyond the things of this world to the things of Heaven. Hope points us to Heaven where we are meant to\nspend eternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank God for\nthe hope we have in Jesus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" St. Luke Parish \u2013 Mass of RemembranceWisdom 3:1-6, 9Psalm 103Romans 8:31-35, 37-39Matthew 11:25-30November 2, 2019 It is Fall outside. That should be obvious. The leaves have been changing colors. The grass has stopped growing. The gardens are dying off. Birds have migrated. Compared to a few months ago, nature seems barren of life. Yet, we …<\/p>\n