EASTER:
BELIEF IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “Easter: Belief in Life After Death.”
As I was getting out of my car last Wednesday – in the outside parking lot at the Mall – I noticed a bumper sticker on a parked car right in front of me. I collect bumper sticker sayings that grab me. This one read, “I believe in life before death.”
I went fishing for a piece of paper in my pocket and wrote that down.
I like that message – because I want to live life to the full in the here and now – and I have met people who seem to put too much of their energy and anxieties into worries about what happens after death. It also appears that people do good and avoid evil in the here and now, not because of the here and now – but because of the hereafter. Doing that we might miss the people right in front of us – as well the implications of the present moment.
Thinking on what I preach about – I believe I concentrate on the here and now – more than the hereafter – seeing that religion takes place in church but especially outside of church – where we spend most of our time and life.
I see the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and the story of God’s creation not just as something that happened billions and billions of years ago – but God’s ongoing creation all the time. It’s about to spring big time once more and it is good. I see the family struggles in the book of Genesis as the struggles of every family.
I see the second book of the Bible, Exodus, and the story of that escape from slavery as the call of everyone to escape addictions or abuse or traps or blaming or claiming ignorance or covering up – whether one is pope, bishop, priest, parent, professional, truck driver or teacher, etc.
I like to see each meal as a Mass, each shower or washing as a baptism, a fresh start, a feeling of newness, each “I’m sorry” as a sacrament of reconciliation, each affirmation of each other as a confirmation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. etc. etc.
I love the words of St. Irenaeus – an early Christian – killed around the year 200 A.D. – who said “The glory of God is a human being who is fully alive.” [Adversus Haereses – 4th Book]. Every parent knows the truth of that when they see their kids fully alive on the playing field or in a play – or having a great slumber party – or doing a reading at Mass – or hunting for Easter eggs or chocolate Easter eggs, so too our God, our Father, rejoices when seeing us fully alive and searching for the surprise of new life.
Don’t we love it when we see grandparents laughing while playing cards or out on the dance floor – or cracking on each other?
So that bumper sticker is a creed: “I believe in life before death.”
And then like any creed we agree upon, we need to put it into practice – making it more than just words.
Am I alive or am I dead? Am I excited or exhausted? Do I jump out of bed each morning – longing for a new day of life, service and surprise?
Frank Lloyd Wright once described bureaucrats as, “dead at 30 and buried at 60.”
I hope that’s not true – but there are some jobs I know I wouldn’t want – but I’m glad someone’s doing them – and I hope they love their job.
It’s NCAA basketball time – and almost baseball season, but all of us can connect with Erma Bombeck’s famous line, “If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.”
Who of us wants to be described as, “Dead! Dull! Boring! Eternal couch potato? Unalive? Same Old Same Old Person every day?”
Some people sound like they are repeating TV talk shows – and the rest of the people in the room want to run! They want to run because this other person doesn’t seem to be another person – someone we might enjoy a cup of coffee or a cup of tea or a Doctor Pepper with.
Just yesterday a lady told me she was recently at Mass at another church – I’m glad it wasn’t this church – and this little girl yelled out – pointing to the priest, “He doesn’t want to be here!”
Did he hear that? Did the little girl want to there? Do I want to be here – on this planet – enjoying this great gift of life that God has given me?
I picture Jesus standing in front of some people who look like they are dead – and he screams out loud into the cave of their ear what he said at the grave or cave of Lazarus: “Lazarus come forth! Wake up. Come back from the dead!” And Lazarus came back from the dead.
Am I happy to be alive? Do I believe in life before death?
I see people worried about hell, heaven and purgatory. I would stress being aware that heaven, hell, and purgatory, can also be right now.
I like Albert Camus’ bumper sticker like saying, “I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment. It takes place every day.” The Fall [1956]
Okay, having said all that, I want to address in this homily the hereafter. Relax this is my regular 10 minutes – 5 pages – 14 pica homily. The title of my homily after all is, “Easter: Belief In Life After Death” and here I am yaking mainly about the here and now.
TODAY’S GOSPEL
The last line in today’s gospel intrigued me, “For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.” [John 20:1-9]
I asked myself, “What does that mean?” “Do I understand that Jesus had to rise from the dead?”
That’s a big question! Many people think: when we die, that’s it. That’s all there is. Nobody has ever risen from the dead!
They it hit me – the depth as well as the centrality of what Paul said about the resurrection in many of his letters - especially his First Letter to the Corinthians, Chapter 15. To paraphrase Paul: “If Christ did not rise from the dead, then the whole house of cards crumbles. If Christ did not rise from the dead, open up the doors and let’s get out of here. We’re a bunch of fools. If Christ did not rise, then nobody rises. If Christ did not rise from the dead, then there is no meaning to Baptism, not truth to Eucharist, no Christianity, no truth to all these things we believe.”
Yet we do believe. Okay we have doubts at times. Then our prayer changes to the prayer of the man in the gospel who came to Jesus for him to heal his son, “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.” [Mark 9:24]
And if we read the after Good Friday stories in Matthew, Mark, Luke and today from John, we hear stories about how belief – faith – takes time – and some get there faster than others.
In today’s gospel there is the mention of “the other disciple”. Many consider this to be John – but we’re not sure. It could be us. It could be the one who in any age or any time – gets in next to Jesus – and Jesus sees this one as the Beloved Disciple.
The gospel writers play with this – who’s going to be first, who’s going to # 1 – who’s going to be next to Jesus in the Eternal Wedding Banquet. Won’t we be surprised! But we don’t know. Hopefully, we will know this in eternity.
ETERNITY: LIFE AFTER DEATH
I often think of a moment at my brother’s grave – standing there in prayer with my brother’s best friend – who said he doesn’t believe in life after death. It was one of those life moments that had a profound impact. I’ve often think about it. Do I believe in life after death? I do! I believe in life after death, because of my parents and my upbringing as a Catholic. In contrast, others don’t have this belief. So I pinch myself. Belief is a gift. Belief in life after death is a total gift. It can’t be proved! We have to die to find out.
At the age of 70, I obviously think about this question more than when I was 40.
At the age of 70, I obviously have answers that I have told myself about this question.
The first thing I go with is what is called Pascal’s Wager or Gamble. Blaise Pascal [1623-1662] was a French mathematician, scientist, philosopher and theologian at times. Various folks punch holes in his argument – saying maybe we’ll wake up realizing we picked the wrong religion. I apply the gamble only to God. I’m gambling that the moment after we die, we’ll either know or not know. If there is nothing, then we’ll never know. But if we gambled that there is a God waiting for us after death, then we guessed correctly big time.
So I start with that. What kicks in second – after Pascal – is Jesus.
I make my act of faith in Jesus Christ – in his words of hope, “I am the way, the truth and the life. I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me, even though he die, will live.”
Then third and last comes the following thought and reasoning – that spins around my brain from time to time – and I found out – around the brain and reasoning of a lot of people.
I call this the “Fair is fair!” conversation with God.
There has to be a resurrection – not only because Jesus died around 33 and was killed unfairly – and didn’t get a chance to round out his life more, but also what about all the babies who have died and never had the time of their life that I have had. What about all those millions and millions of Jews who were killed in the Holocaust – and millions and millions and millions of people who were blown up or killed or raped and murdered – in the violence of war or by crazies down through the centuries. What about all the young men and women killed in war - in combat - or just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Fair is fair. There has to be a hereafter. Fair is fair.
So I tell God there have been a lot of people who deserve eternity – to catch up on missed life – and then there are the crazies who need eternity to get their minds and souls in order.
CONCLUSION
Easter is a good time to think about heavy things. Roll away the big stone and experience these questions with Jesus the Risen Lord. Amen. Alleluia.
Painting on top: The Resurrection [1510] - part of Matthias Grunewald's altarpiece in St. Anthony's Monastery, Isenheim, Alsace
