Earlier this year, I mentioned how frustrating it is to see people – modern, learned people – struggling to respond to death. They gather at night on lawns and pavilions, holding candles and swaying together in large numbers; they pile up flowers and teddy bears and notes that will never reach their addressees. They put decals on their vehicles, erect crosses by roadsides, and find any number of ways to “honor” the dear departed.
But
Christ has given us a more excellent way to respond when death robs us. More than “honor,” we pour out love, and prayer is the form of love that pierces the veil that veils all nations (cf Is. 4). Yes, prayer is the one work of love that is
not thwarted by the separation at death.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the prayer that destroys the web that is woven over all nations,
that is, death.
Nothing
any of us does, and nothing any of our beloved dead did, is enough to “win”
eternal life in heaven. Only the
once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Holy Cross accomplishes
that. He does this not for Himself, of
course, but for us, so how are we to partake?
The fruit of this “tree” in the
garden of Gethsemane is the only antidote to the deadly fruit of the tree in
the center of the garden of Eden, and that sweet fruit of the Holy Cross is His
life-giving Body and Blood laid upon the Altar at Mass.
We
who remember, and still live, are able to apply this saving work to the benefit
of our beloved dead by offering our participation in the Holy Mass for the happy
repose of their souls. It is
particularly beneficial and powerful for the priest celebrant, who stands
before God in persona Christi, to offer
his intention in their behalf, as the priest does, for example, at a funeral
Mass. These are powerful tools in our hands; powerful
works of love.
The
second day of November, Thursday this
year, at 7:30 in the evening, we will offer a Requiem Mass for the souls our
parish has commended to the mercy of God over the past twelve months. Looking at the list of names of the ones we
have lost over just this past year, I was amazed at how many of these people
were prominent members of the parish, well-known and loved. Read through it yourself – it’s printed in
the bulletin – and see if you don’t know several of them, or their family
members here. Then come, join us and
their families at the altar in prayer for these souls.
Come
do something for the ones who no longer can choose or do anything for
themselves; the ones you love, or remember, who have died, and await their
liberation. The music will be from
Gabriel Fauré’s sublime setting of the Requiem Mass, “requiem” being Latin for
“rest,” as in, “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.” Jesus’ death and resurrection has left us
great power in the face of death, and we should not leave that power untapped.
Click here to listen to the final movement of Fauré's Requiem, the "In paradisum"
Click here to listen to the final movement of Fauré's Requiem, the "In paradisum"
You
should also be preparing your own list of names for your All Souls
intentions. Add to your roster any of
your family and friends whom you have lost this year, and maybe some others as
well, such as names you pick up from the news – people you may not know
personally, but whose tragic or heroic deaths moved you. This is something you can do for them, now
that they can do nothing for themselves.
You can put it in your envelope with your offering at any time from now
on; it will rest on our altar with those provided by everyone else in the
parish, and receive the intention of one Mass each day throughout the month.
How
often do you see the inscription “Never forget” associated with the memory of people
who have died? On all Souls Day,
November 2, we Catholics not only remember the dear departed, but we also do
something for them.
Monsignor Smith
