Our
first readings this week are from the book of Wisdom. Part of
today’s reading is often reading at our Catholic funeral mass, stating that “the
souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no
torment shall touch them”. Many in
our world still believe that when our earthly existence comes to an end, there
is no more life for us. Yet, the
book of Wisdom sees a different destiny for those who place their hope in the
Lord. Our
reading concludes today by asserting: “grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and
his care is with his elect.” We
started the month of November with the celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls
Day. These important feast days in our
Catholic faith are in the spirit of what we hear from the Book of Wisdom today.
Josephat is the saint we celebrate
today. He was a bishop in present-day
Belarus in the early 17th century. Josephat
was killed by an angry mob because he was advocating that his community of Christians,
who were Ruthenians and who were a part of the Orthodox Church, be joined in
full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. There is
so much division in our world and in Christianity as well, even in our modern
era. When the
Roman empire was split into the East & the West in the 4th century, it
foreshadowed what was to come about in the 11th century, when a great schism
split the Church in the year 1054. There
have been signs of reconciliation and friendship in recent years between the
Churches in the East & the West, but, unfortunately, Christianity still
remains very divided.
We think
about the struggles, the challenges, and the obstacles we have to overcome on
our journey here on earth. The
eternal life we hear about in today’s reading from Wisdom is to encourage us
and to give us hope on the journey, to help us live out the calling God has for
us in life.
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