LIFE AFTER DEATH?
IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
The title of my homily for All Saints Day is, “Life After
Death? It Makes a Difference.”
This might sound like a homily for tomorrow: All
Souls Day - because I address the question of life after death - which is at
the heart of All Souls Day.
There are three kinds of people: those who believe in life
after death; those who don’t believe there is life after death; and those who
are so so, either or - or don’t know for sure - or don't think about it that often.
It makes a difference in one’s attitudes, one’s psyche,
one’s behavior, one’s thoughts and feelings for here and now depending on what
we believe about whether there is life after death or what have you?
Which of the 3 categories do you put yourself into? I don’t
know about you - but I pause before answering that question.
Scientifically I don’t know. Physically I don’t know. My
skin is already flaking a bit at times. I have my questions and my doubts. I
smile, because if there is nothing after this life, then I’ll never know.
However, if there is life, I will enter into eternity as
someone who is in the group of those who believe by faith in life after death.
Now I can’t prove there is life after death - but I can know
there is life after death - by faith.
There are philosophers and theologians and writers who hold
that there is life after death. They say
things like: “We find believe in life
after death in all cultures, therefore if it’s a human instinct, therefore
there has to be life after death.”
Mark Link in his Homily Series gives this example: “Years
ago Peter Berger wrote a best-selling book called, A Rumor of Angels. In the book, Berger speaks of ‘signals of
transcendence.’ A signal of transcendence is something in this life that points
to something beyond this life. One of
these signals of transcendence is the hunger in this life that points for
something more than this world can offer.”
We can go there. That can help. I find myself simply going to the gift of
faith that I have received from my mom and dad and parish and Church and say,
“I believe in eternal life with God.”
I make that leap of faith. And I’m assuming that God will
catch me when I make that jump. The
image I like to use is this. It’s winter. It has snowed. The city sidewalks
are mushy black and white snow and ice. I come to end of the
sidewalk - so as to step down and cross the street. But there is melting water
and snow and ice right there at that curb - and if I want to cross the street I
have to make a leap - and hope I don’t land on ice and fall on my butt. Faith
is coming to that point - but it’s night - and we don’t know how far away that
street is across over the melting ice,
water, slush and snow at that corner.
I have to believe I’m going to make it. Faith is the belief
that God is out there in the dark and he’s going to catch me when I jump into
and across dark slushy, icy, cold,
unknown on the other side death.
CHRISTIAN BELIEF
A central belief - a central teaching - for the Christian is
that there is life after death - and Jesus’ is the key - the other side. We
believe that Jesus rose from the dead. In fact, as St. Paul puts it, if Christ didn’t rise from
the dead, we Christians are a bunch of fools because we base everything on
that.
The Creed till last Advent had “We believe in one Lord,
Jesus Christ, the only Son of God.... We look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
After last First Sunday of Advent the wording was changed
from “We” to “I” - to get it exactly like the Latin, “Credo” “I believe”. I
prefer the “we” because we’re all in this together. However, the benefit of the
“I” as in “I believe” and “Credo” is that each of us has to face these basic
faith beliefs - and speak up for me, myself and I.
So today for All Saints Day I’m asking the question: “Life
After Death? It Makes a Difference.”
For starters I believe by faith that Jesus Christ rose from
the dead and is living again after he died on the cross. Jesus is the key.
That’s the core or our faith in life after death.
That goes for Christians. Catholic
Christians add all those who have died and are with the God. Today’s first
reading from the Book of Revelation give numbers - 144,000 and then the great
multitude that can’t be counted - and that’s the group I hope I’m going to be
marching into heaven with.
Some Christians think something is wrong with the Catholic
tradition and the Catholic belief in saints with a small “s” and a capital “S”.
I haven’t talked to many of them on this. I sense they think we bypass Jesus
and go to Mary and / or Saints.
We’ve all seen people come into Mass - or into church - and
from all appearances bypass Jesus and go to the picture of Mary or a statue or
picture of a Saint - and then walk out.
I’ve learned to say to myself, “It’s none of my business. I don’t know
what’s going on in the mind of this person. I don’t know their story.”
Moreover - because of the Catholic Tradition of Mary and the
Saints - I think having saints - known and unknown - as part of our faith life
is wonderful. Their example - their living out the gospels - their prayers for
us - hopefully all help.
Some of these saints - small “s” and capital “S” we know by
name - St. Paul and St. Francis of Assisi - St. Catherine of Siena and St. Teresa of Avila - as well as
grandparents - neighbors - friends - who were all around wonderful - generous -
giving folks.
CONCLUSION: ONE CRUCIAL QUESTION
The title of my homily is, “Life After Death? It Makes a
Difference.”
In other words: “Would my life be any different if I thought
this life was it - and when I die, I die for good - for ever.”
In other words: “Does a belief in a Heaven and a Hell after
this life make a difference in how I live this life now?" Or another way of
asking this same question is to read Matthew 25: 31-46 - The Parable of the
Sheep and the Goats - and Luke 16-19-31 - The Parable of the Rich Man and
Lazarus. Then ask, “Do these 2 parables
make a difference in how I live my life here because both have implications for my hereafter?”
P.S. If this homily didn’t make any sense or didn’t grab
you, I hope the following will grab you. I received an e-mail from my sister
Peggy who is a nun. She simply said, “Happy All Saints Day. I said a prayer to
my two favorite saints for you today: Mom and Dad.”
OOOOOOO
Engraving on top: Dante Among the Slothful, Gustave Dore, c. 1868
