Saturday
(Commemoration of the Dead)
1 Thess. 4:13-17;
John 5:24-30
“Now the Holy Church directs our attention beyond the
borders of our present life, to our fathers and brothers who have passed on
from here. The Church hopes, by reminding us of their state (which we ourselves
shall not escape), to prepare us to spend Cheese-fare Week properly, as well as
Great Lent, which follows. Let us listen to our mother, the Church; and
commemorating our fathers and brothers, let us take care to prepare ourselves for
our passing over to the other world. Let us bring to mind our sins and bemoan
them, setting out in the future to keep ourselves pure from any defilement. For
nothing unclean will enter the Kingdom of God, and at the Judgment no one
unclean will be justified. After death, you cannot expect purification. You
will remain as you are when you cross over. You must prepare your cleansing
here. Let us hurry, for who can predict how long one will live? Life could be
cut off this very hour. How can we appear unclean in the other world? With what
eyes will we look at our fathers and brothers who will meet us? How will we
answer their questions: “What is this that is wrong in you? What is this? And
what is this?” What shame will cover us! Let us hasten to set right all that is
out of order, to appear at least in a somewhat tolerable and bearable state in
the other world.”
St. Theophan has a beautiful reflection here. As it is the
first Saturday of the Souls, we are called to remember those who have died. As
stated in Scripture, God destroys death and brings new life. We must take into
account where we are at in our lives and work towards purification to enter the
Kingdom of God. The sacrament of Confession is one of the ways that we can work
towards this purification. We lay down our burdens, our shame, our sins, but we
lift our face to Christ, the ultimate healer. During Great Lent, we need to
come to Christ with all the brokenness and hurt that we have in our hearts. As
a result, we can move forward in our lives and grow closer in our relationship
with God.
Written by Jackie Loupakos
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