Reality on earth, fulfillment in heaven

The Solemnity of all Saints and the commemoration of all the faithful departed are significant events on the month of November. These lead us to reflect more in our life, especially when we visit the cemetery. We realize that life here on earth is some kind of “days like passing shadow” (Ps 144:4), “for in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers” (Ps 90:6).

There is joy of celebrating the Solemnity of all saints. It helps us to re-think on the double horizon of humankind. On the one hand, our experience in this life as the earth reflects man’s journey making history, and on the other, heaven as the fulfilment of eternity – the fullness of life in God. In the Creed, we profess being one with the saints, a reality that is built here below, but is completely made manifest when we will see God face to face.

Undeniably, this reality is challenged by COVID-19 in our midst. We seek for higher power to help us. We seek for the intercession of all the saints and we commend our dear faithful departed through the mercy of God.

These days, this celebration is unique compared to the previous years, that is, before this pandemic broke out. Its uniqueness lies in that the cemetery is closed. Unlike the previous years, we cannot be together in the grave of our love ones. What then shall we do, since the cemetery is closed? What will happen to the indulgence that the Church grants to those who visit the cemetery?

The prayers we offer for our beloved dead is a great help for them. We cannot deny that our strong solidarity with them is a reality of being a family tied by deep spiritual bonds that unite us as pilgrims in this world with our faithful departed. In this dimension of faith, we understand the practice of offering prayers to the faithful departed. Evidently, the significance of the celebration of the Solemnity of all Saints and the commemoration of all the faithful departed is very relevant in the practice of our faith.

Moreover, our longing to be with one with our beloved dead is satisfied by the church that provides us with possible ways especially by granting us the plenary indulgence the moment we pray for our beloved dead mentally (Cf. ORDO). Even though the circumstances does not allow us to visit the graves of our beloved dead, the Church’s door is widely open for us to offer our prayers for them. Thus, the Church that never abandons all our intentions and longings – the longings that one day we will be united with all the Saints and our beloved dead – is a Church that journeys with us. This is a reality that begins here on earth and that reaches its fulfillment in heaven.

How beautiful it is to long for that reality! One of our important experiences of God in our midst is in the Holy Eucharist. It is a mysterious but real bond nourished by prayer and participation in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. In a little while, Jesus Christ is fully present himself in the most exalted way, Christ the true Vine to whom the faithful on earth and the Saints in Heaven are united like branches. Our hope as Christians, without solely becoming individualistic, is always a hope to be with others. Our lives are deeply connected one to the other. Hereafter, the prayer of our pilgrim souls in this world can help another soul having the need to be purified after death. This is why, the Church invites us especially this time, to pray for our beloved deceased and to pause for a while in the deep longing to be at their tombs in the cemeteries. Our offering of prayers for them can be like the food we need that we may not perish.

Lastly, our desire and hope for meeting our loved ones again in heaven is still to be fully manifested in the days to come. As followers of Christ, we understand that eternal life today does not simply mean a life that never ends, but rather a new quality of existence, fully occupied in God’s love. So, it is the mystery of Christ which opens to all of us believers the passage to eternal life. It is the never-ending communion with all our brothers and sisters who share with the same love of our God. Consequently, eternity can already be present in the heart of all the faithful and earthly life when our soul is united through grace of God, the ultimate source and foundation. (Bro. Soren Abellanosa)