AND DEATH SHALL BE NO MORE

A SERMON FOR THE DEDICATION OF THE BASILICAS OF SS. PETER & PAUL

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

The past few weeks have forced us to focus a great deal on death.  The month of October began with the tragic death of a child, and ended with the death of a bishop.  November, the month of the Holy Souls, has already seen the death of another bishop, and then the remembrance last Sunday of all our military dead, the fallen of our many wars.  This constant emphasis on death and reminder of our own mortality is becoming heavy on our consciousness this year, and God in his mercy gives us today the promise of relief.   “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more…” This is not instant relief—we are still dwellers of this vale of tears, we have our sorrows, and we shall most certainly die.  But it’s a promise, it’s in the future tense.  This end to death and suffering willhappen.

Today’s promise contains a truth which must never be lost on us.  A truth which is of enormous importance, that goes far beyond the coming and going of individual souls to and fro in this world.  Today’s promise is meant for each and every one of us.  It’s a personal promise.  St. John the Evangelist is speaking of a new Jerusalem, where there shall be no more sorrow, no more death.  He is speaking of eternal glory, and of a time to come when all the elect, reunited in heaven, may sing together God’s praises, united again, for ever and ever.

It is the promise that Death is not an eternal loss.  It is merely a transformation from one state of our existence to another.  A simple doorway from one side of the veil to the other.  One which has been planned for all of us by our loving Saviour.  It is not something to be feared, not a thing of dread if your soul is pure.  Merely the coming of our Lord into our midst to take unto himself, under the shadow of his wings, the soul of one amongst us.  Live a godly life, and he will come for you too one day.  He will gently take our hand and say to us “Arise”, and we will stand up and follow him, we will be surrounded by all the angels and saints, including all those we love so much who have gone before us.  And the Mystical Body of Christ shall be whole and entire.

Let us pray on this feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saint Peter and of Saint Paul, that these two great saints, patrons of Christ’s Mystical Body the Church, who were so important to her foundation on earth.  Let us pray to them that they will keep each of us within the folds of that Mystical Body here in this life, in the firmness of an unshaking faith, in the holiness of our actions, and most of all in the fervent love of God and neighbor. Let us pray to these two apostles that nothing will ever take us outside of that Mystical Body, to that awful place where there is darkness and gnashing of teeth. That we may one day unite with them in that Mystical Body, along with our dear departed souls who formed such an important part of our own life and who are no longer with us.  And that our eternity may be spent in their midst, and in the comforting arms of our loving Saviour who loves us all so very much. For this, today, is his promise: “Behold, I make all things new.”