The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed
WE ARE AT A DARKENING TIME OF THE
YEAR – THE LEAVES ARE FALLING, THE NIGHTS ARE CLOSING IN WITH THE ONSET OF
WINTER TIME AND THE CHANGING OF THE CLOCKS AT THE WEEKEND. ALL IS GROWING DARK. ONE BIG STORM AND ALL THE LEAVES WILL BE GONE.
I AM REMINDED OF A MEETING I HAD
RECENTLY WITH A NUN FROM THE FAR EAST. SHE RELATED TO ME THAT SHE WAS SENT HERE TO IRELAND RATHER UNEXPECTEDLY
BY HER SUPERIORS AND ARRIVED IN DUBLIN ONE NOVEMBER 10 YEARS AGO HAVING LIVED ALL HER LIFE UP TO
THAT WITH THE TROPICS AND LUSH GREENERY. SHE DIDN’T HAVE ANY ENGLISH AT THE
TIME – SHE WAS LANDED STRAIGHT FROM SINGAPORE, AND THE FIRST QUESTION ON HER
LIPS WAS - WHAT IS IT WITH ALL THESE DEAD IRISH TREES THAT ARE ALLOWED TO STAND
EVERYWHERE? SHE ASSUMED THEY WERE ALL DEAD - HAVING NEVER SEEN AN AUTUMN IN HER
LIFE. AS SHE HAD NO ENGLISH AT ALL IT WAS FRUSTRATING FOR HER – SHE
DIDN’T HAVE THE LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE AND HAVE IT EXPLAINED TO HER WHY NO ONE
WAS CHOPPING DOWN ALL THESE – TO HER MIND – DEAD TREES! SHE HAD NO CONCEPT OF SPRING AS SHE NEVER SAW
ONE. SHE DID NOT REALISE THAT SPRING AND NEW GROWTH AND LIFE WAS MONTHS AWAY
AND THEN SLOWLY SHE BEGAN VISUALLY TO UNDERSTAND SPRING FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER
HER FIRST LONG HARD WINTER.
WE ARE IN A SIMILAR POSITION. WE
SEE LIFE AND DEATH FROM ONLY ONE ASPECT – LIKE THAT AT THE BEGINING OF
WINTERTIME. BUT WE BELIEVE THAT THERE IS ANOTHER LIFE – NOT FAR AWAY FROM US – EVEN
THOUGH OUT OF OUR SIGHT. WHILE WE KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT SPRING FOLLOWS
WINTER, WE HAVE NO DIRECT EXPERIENCE THAT THERE IS A LIFE AFTER THIS ONE – OR PUT ANOTHER WAY A
LIFE ALONGSIDE THIS ONE. WE KNOW WITH CONFIDENCE THAT THERE IS A SPRINGTIME,
BUT WE ARE UNCERTAIN ABOUT ANY OTHER LIFE THAN THIS BECAUSE NO-ONE HAS EVER
COME BACK TO TELL US DIRECTLY – AND NO-ONE EVER WILL. IT IS LIKE THAT NUN FROM
THE TROPICS - WE DON’T HAVE THE LANGUAGE EITHER FOR SOMEONE TO TELL US IN A WAY
THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND – THAT THERE IS MORE BEYOND OUR SIGHT. AND WE DON’T HAVE
ANYONE TO ANSWER OUR PUZZLEMENT OR OUR QUESTIONS. ALL THAT NUN NEEDED WAS FOR SOMEONE TO SAY TO
HER – ‘WAIT AND SEE, AND ALL WILL BE WELL.’ SHE HAD TO LIVE IN UNCERTAINTY WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING OR EVEN AWARE OF WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, THAT THE DAYS WERE GETTING EVEN DARKER AND COLDER - AND THEN THEY WOULD OF COURSE TURN BRIGHTER, LONGER, AND MILDER. THEN NEW GROWTH.
WE ARE LIKE HER IN SO MANY WAYS, BUT WE ON THE OTHER HAND HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LIFE TO COME AND ABOUT RESURRECTION.
WE ARE PRETTY SURE JUST THAT THERE WILL BE SPRINGTIME
IN 2013 – THERE WILL BE SPRINGTIME IN THE LIFE TO COME FOR OUR LOVED ONES THAT THE LORD
WILL FORGIVE THEM ANY FAULTS THEY COMMITTED IN HUMAN WEAKNESS. THAT IS OUR PRAYER
FOR THEM TODAY ESPECIALLY – THAT IS WHY WE PRAY, IN THIS VALLEY OF TEARS, IN THIS LONG SAD WINTER
OF WAITING.
MAY WE ALL EXPERIENCE THAT SPRING TIME AND EASTER OF RESURRECTION
ON THE LAST DAY. MAY WE BE UNITED WITH ALL OUR LOVED ONES AGAIN.
THAT IS OUR HEARTFELT PRAYER TODAY.
MAY THEY REST IN PEACE, AND MAY WE BE RE-UNITED WITH THEM AGAIN 'WHERE SADNESS AND WEEPING WILL BE NO MORE', WHERE 'THE LORD WILL WIPE AWAY THE TEARS FROM EVERY CHEEK', (ISAIAH 25:6), AND WHERE 'THE WORLD OF THE PAST IS GONE' (REVELATION 21:4)
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