Every five or six years, All Souls Day comes on a Sunday.
I don’t want to shock you, but: this day is about death.
In ancient Rome, when a victorious general would be honored
with a triumphant parade, surrounded by cheering throngs,
with even the Emperor paying tribute,
there would be a servant beside him in the chariot,
whispering in his ear: “Remember that you are mortal.”
“Remember that you are mortal.”
Does death scare you?
I remember a night, years back,
when I was driving home, lost in thought.
To my sudden horror, I realized—I’d just gone through a stop sign.
I thanked God all the way home that he’d preserved me.
Yes, that scared me.
Still, you and I don’t have to be scared about death. Be ready!
It’s not hard to be ready.
Stay close to Jesus. That’s it.
You and I stay close to Jesus by living as he commands.
We are close to the Lord
when we care for the least of his brothers and sisters.
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, embrace the outcast.
If we are close to Jesus, we are listening to him—learning from him.
And we are talking to him—we are praying.
And if we’ve neglected or disobeyed the Lord, we go to confession.
Why mess around? Just go!
Getting sick or dying is not the worst thing that can happen to us.
The worst thing is a death for which we are not prepared.
Live ready. Die ready. Nothing to be afraid of!
As you can imagine,
I get called to visit people when they are near death.
This is one the best parts of being a priest:
Being able to pray with people
as they approached the threshold of eternity.
What can be sad is when I visit people,
And they really aren’t facing the situation.
I’ve been turned away, as if there was no urgency –
But there was.
When both my mother and father, in their turn,
were approaching death, they were open about it.
They talked about what they wanted. It was a great help.
We often use the term, “Last Rites” – what does it really mean?
Well, I’ll explain.
There are several prayers it can include –
And it’s important to mention, none of which need to be “last” –
meaning, you don’t have to wait till your last breath!
Better NOT to wait!
First comes the sacrament of confession.
This is not frightening: this is our opportunity
to make peace and to have peace.
Then the priest can give the “apostolic blessing,”
which the Holy Father allows priests to grant to us
when we’re in a serious place, including near death.
It is a remission of all time in purgatory.
Pretty good!
Speaking of purgatory, this might properly be called,
“The saints’ finishing school.”
The point of purgatory is to complete the work of God’s grace,
And make us truly heavenly.
We enter purgatory from earth; we exit to heaven!
It’s customary to renew ones baptismal promises
and to use holy water, reminding us of baptism.
Next is the anointing of the sick.
Again, the movies always make it seem you do this at the very end,
but the anointing can be given anytime we face a serious illness,
and we can receive it more than once.
The most important sacrament to receive
in such a situation is the Eucharist:
called “viaticum,” which means, “food for the journey.”
Sometimes people have swallowing issues.
All I can say is, please talk to the priest about this,
and we can usually overcome this problem.
There’s one more part of Last Rites that isn’t as important,
But it helps us see what’s really happening at that moment.
And that is when the priest leads everyone in a Litany of the Saints.
Remember: the same litany was prayed at your baptism!
Baptism is when you became a saint;
And the whole goal of everything we do is to
“be in that number when the saints go marching in!”
And then he offers a prayer of commendation,
which really gives our loved one directly to God.
One of those prayers begins,
“Go forth, Christian soul, from this world…”
The other includes these words:
“May Christ who died for you admit you to his garden of paradise.”
I love praying these prayers with people –
but not if folks aren’t ready to face the real situation.
All I can do is encourage you again:
Don’t be afraid; live ready, die ready, be at peace!
There’s a lovely tradition of family gathering
When someone is near the end, and praying together,
Along with the priest.
I so strongly encourage you, don’t wait till the last minute,
Call the priest and perhaps the family can be part of the prayers.
Lots of people are afraid of death;
but Christians should not be among them.
Our Savior, our Jesus, suffered, died, and came back from the dead!
Surrounded by the other saints, he will welcoming us home.
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