October 20, 2024 - Pastor Message
December 30, 2024THE LAST THINGS:
THE LAST THINGS:
DEATH
“Jesus’ disciples approached him and said: ‘Discuss with us the parable of the weeds in the field’. He replied: ‘He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are those who are children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the Evil One; the enemy who sows them is the Devil; the harvest is the fulfillment of the age; the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned in fire, so it will be at the fulfillment of the age; the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect from his reign all causes of sin and those who do iniquity and send them into the furnace of fire; weeping and gnashing of teeth will be there. Then the just will shine as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who has ears should listen’” (Matthew 13:36-43).
As the Church approaches the feasts of All Saints (November 1st) and All Souls (November 2nd), our minds and our prayer once again turn to the great mystery of our lives after this life ends. We call this mystery “the last things”, and the Church invites us to contemplate them each year so that we can be prepared when they come, which they inevitably will for all of us at a day and time we do not know. These last things affect our entire life as we live this life for the kingdom of God that is to come, for which this life is just the entryway. Our death is the door, and our choices in this life in response to God and his offer of grace in Christ are the stairs, either up to heaven or down to hell. I will reflect on these last things - death, judgment, heaven, and hell - in this column for the next few weeks. It is my hope that, by doing so, we may all be better prepared when our day to pass through that door comes and may redouble our efforts to pray for those who have already made that journey, especially by our participation in the coming feasts.
The mystery of our lives after this life ends begins with death. As human beings, we are embodied in the world, as are all earthly creatures, but made uniquely in the “image and likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26-27) and given a unique share in God’s life (Genesis 2:7). We call this immortal, spiritual core, expressed physically through our body, the soul. We live in this material world as a fusion of body and soul, but, like all material things in this world, our bodies are subject to degradation from within (as through the passage of time) and destruction from without (as through a deadly virus or accident). Once our bodies have degraded or been destroyed to the point that vital biological functions cease, life in this world ends for us, and our immortal, spiritual souls separate from our mortal, physical bodies. We call this separation death.
At that point, our souls pass from this world to face an immediate, particular judgment from God (Luke 16:19-31), which determines our personal disposition as we await the final judgment of all creation (Matthew 13:36-43) and the birth of “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1). I will cover the topic of judgment in the next column but will conclude this column with a reflection on our experience of death. Like all biological lifeforms, we instinctively recoil from even the thought of death and seek to preserve bodily life for as long as possible. Add to this natural fear of death the teaching of our faith that death entered the world as a consequence of sin (Genesis 2:15-17; 3:17-19; Romans 5:12), and we can approach death with great anxiety and dread. For us as Christians, however, death is not something to be feared. Through the saving mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection, God has conquered death and sin. Because of Christ, death is no longer the end leading to damnation but the beginning of the fullness of life, free of the corruption of sin, for all those who believe in him (Romans 5:15-21). This is the reason the central image of our faith is the cross, because it is through his death that Christ saves us from death, making the cross the sign of our victory. For those joined to Christ, our death shares in Christ’s death, and when we pass through death with him, we know we will also share in his resurrection. So do not approach death with fear or anxiety, but with faith, and so prepare yourself to face your judgment with confidence and hope in your salvation.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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