Do not cry!

Dear brothers and sisters, today, the church proposes a special remembrance for our departed brothers and sisters, those who have gone before us marked in the sign of peace. In praying for the souls in purgatory, we affirm that love is stronger than death and that communion with one another endures beyond the grave. We believe that our life does not end on earth but simply a preparation for the life to come. However, because only those who are pure in heart, shall see God, we continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in purgatory, for the forgiveness of their sin, for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). If we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8). In the first reading of today, 2 Maccabees 12:42-45, we clearly see that the Jews of the Maccabean period already had faith in the future resurrection. After the battle at Adullam. Judas Maccabeus recognizes sin as the cause of the defeat, prays for the fallen soldiers and offers sacrifices for them in faith that they would rise again, prefiguring the resurrection in Christ; “Nothing unclean shall enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). In the second reading, Saint Paul tells us that Christ will transfigure our bodies into copies of his glorious body. 

In the Gospel, Jesus anticipates the glorious resurrection in him. Entering the town of Nain, they encountered a widow and the townspeople, accompanying her for the burial of her son. When the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her and said, “Do not Cry!”. Jesus is asking us today, “Do not cry!”, because your dead father, mother, husband, wife or child will live again, for our homeland is in heaven. This moment, it is Jesus who takes the initiative to enter the life of this widow and when he entered her life, he changed her sadness into Joy, her cry to laughter. Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to God to enter our life, our family, our business, our parish, our community, our school, because when he enters, our night become day, our pains become sweet. Let us allow him to touch us, to touch our heart, to move with us. It is because Jesus felt sorry for her, that her son was brought to life. Dear brothers and sisters, our prayers, our actions can bring hope to our faithful departed. Let us, then, live each day mindful of eternity, allowing gratitude, forgiveness, and love to shape our relationships. In doing so, we help bring light not only to those who have died but also to our own hearts, drawing us all closer to the God who is Life itself. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.