November 2, 2022
FIRST READING Job 19:1,23-27
I know that my redeemer is alive.
RESPONSORY Psalm
26
I am sure to contemplate the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
SECOND READING Rom 5:5-11
Justified in his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Gospel Jn 6:37-40
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day. Remembering the faithful departed, dedicating Holy Masses and liturgies to them, visiting their graves, praying for them more intensely on this day, at this time, thus expresses the reality of our faith: faith in the life that does not die, faith in the reality of eternal life, faith in the God of Life, in the Resurrection of Jesus but, above all, witnessing faith in the love that binds us, that binds all people, that is the most important reality.
Only love is credible,” he quotes the title of a book by theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar, “which is why love is the way God chooses to reveal Himself to men but, above all, love is that which nothing can destroy, which overcomes all ugliness and despair by giving, beyond all obstacles, hope. Love will always be the only credible reality to conquer death, and convince that life in God always wins, but above all, love is the only reality worthy of always being cultivated in our lives.
The bond of love that unites us with our deceased loved ones is not mere nostalgia or regret, it is proof that the life of every human being goes beyond any simple bond, witnessing their importance by remembering them in such a strong way, as we do on this day, is like repeating to the world today the same promise that Jesus made to us in today’s Gospel. John’s Gospel presents, after the miracle of the loaves, Jesus’ interlocutors continuing to refer to the earthly bread, rather than turning their gaze of faith to the one who represents the true bread. Indeed, in the central revelation of v. 38, Jesus confirms that he belongs to the divine world, and the future prospect emerges clearly: believing in him in order to have as of now the gift of life, the true life, also promising resurrection on the last day–who would not rejoice at this prospect?
In addition, however, a specific condition is highlighted in the Gospel: “Come to Him” (v. 37), an expression that is equivalent to “believe.” Those who come after Jesus are actually given by the Father to the Son and therefore the Son welcomes and cherishes them. The manifestation of the Father’s love that is in Jesus becomes the irruption of true life for every believer who gives consent! This does not mean that in the daily journey we cancel out trials, sufferings and death; on the contrary, we discover more that there is a fulfillment determinable not only by our personal will and plans. We are all confronted with the fact that we cannot dispose of our lives. The “emptiness” we can all feel can only be filled by communion with God. Then, yes, it can be said that there is no more death but solely life.
For good workers…
The specificity of Christianity consists in the proclamation that love conquers death, good news that we are called to decode and translate here and now, in history and in the company of men. The Christian God is love (1 Jn. 4:8, 16) because he was told by Jesus, the one who experienced love stronger than death: that is why he is risen, and we, dragged behind him in his human life, can make a way back to the Father, a way that will result in eternal life.
Jesus became man to help us live “as God”; he died, was buried and descended to hell so that no one would feel excluded from his saving action. So that I would not be afraid and feel alone and forsaken, at the mercy of my fears, Jesus himself chose to “inhabit” every place, even the lowest, in order to “keep me company” at that moment. There is no “space” of life and death that He has not visited, and this gives me the assurance that He will welcome me with open arms in whatever situation I “fall”: whether today in sin or tomorrow in death, He is there. For He has overcome sin and death and prepared a place for me in the Father’s House. This is enough for me to walk the path of life with confidence and hope, “Even if I should walk through a dark valley” (Ps. 23), He is there. He is with me. (Pope Francis).
P Joby Kavungal RCJ TREZZANO SUL NAVIGLIO – MILAN