On this commemoration of all of the faithful departed we celebrate our communion with those who have gone before us united to Christ in the hope of the resurrection, but who are still undergoing their final purification before they seem him face to face. The focus is not so much on the fact of the purification as it is on the certainty of the hope. On one level there might be some helpful fear that can motivate us to get our own acts together so that we can avoid as much of purgatory as possible. But today is really more about confidence in our hope because of our communion with these deceased brothers and sisters.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
Confidence is actually a more robust motivation to help us in our pursuit of holiness than is fear. Fear might be potent in the short-term. But when we feel fear we might have the mistaken sense that it all comes down to us and our efforts. Thus when things become difficult, or feel impossible, we are more likely to give up if fear is all we have on which to rely. We are right to fear our fallen sinful human nature, our ability to ignore or squander the grace that God desires to give us. We are right to acknowledge that his holiness is a consuming fire. But our confidence helps us to realize that his strength is even greater than our weakness, that it is ultimately far more about him than it is about us.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
When we pray for the dead who are still being purified we acknowledge the fact that, for them, hope is certain. They know that it is only a matter of time before they see Jesus face to face. In our union with them they help us to share in their own unclouded vision, their view of the end of the race. They know what it means to let the grace of baptism have its full effect and help us to see how worthwhile it is to give ourselves entirely over to that gift in our own lives.
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
As long as we don't give up on Jesus he won't give up on us. From the faithful departed we learn a sense of urgency for responding to the call of Jesus, one that is not primarily motivated based on fear and avoidance of punishment, but rather based on our growing awareness of the magnitude of his unstoppable love.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.
Brian Doerksen - Refiner's Fire
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