Word to the Wise
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 - Tuesday in the 32th Week in Ordinary Time
[Wis 2:23—3:9 and Luke 17:7-10]The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. [Wisdom]
These beautiful words are often read at funerals in Catholic churches. I have always found them comforting. We Christians read them in the light of Jesus' resurrection and promise of eternal life. In the Jewish community, for whom the Book of Wisdom was written, the idea of the resurrection of the dead was a relatively recent idea. Some Jews, e.g. the Saduccees, rejected the belief because they did not think it was found in the Torah (first five books of the Old Testament). Jesus refuted that position in the encounter about the woman married to seven brothers [Luke 21:27-40], but that did not settle the question. St. Paul used the issue to create confusion in a crowd that wanted to lynch him! [Acts 23:6-11].
What the Book of Wisdom offers us is a wonderful way to reflect on what is a foundational part of our faith. We believe in the resurrection of the dead. We also believe that the souls of the just are in the hand of God. The Communion of Saints is part of our faith, which means that we are destined for immortality with our brothers and sisters who precede us in death. In the Gospel According to John we are told by Jesus that eternal life begins with belief in him. Death simply inaugurates a new way of that life. AMEN