ALL SOULS DAY

We are blessed with the falling leaves of autumn, tumbling and dancing from the trees to the ground, subtle reminders that we are asked to let go of things in our lives that hold us back from being the best person we can be.  These fallen leaves of autumn on this Feast of All Souls also help us to face what we so often avoid:  death in general and our own death in particular.

Perhaps it is due to our powerful sense of self-preservation or the fear of dying that many of us have an attitude towards death which seems to be one of protest; feeling that somehow, whenever life is taken away from us, we have been defrauded or cheated.  But when we think about it, this attitude seems a bit irreverent and unreasonable.

Irreverent because God alone has created us, and He alone has the right to withdraw His gift in any manner He deems fit.  Unreasonable because we simply cannot deny that death is inevitable for each of us.  To deny death is absurd.  Yet that is what we try to do.

Every day of our lives, our bodies are maturing, aging, and yes, eventually dying.  We rarely pay attention to death until gray hair and wrinkles appear, or someone we love, dies. Or when the tragedy of a mass shooting, terrorist attack, or weather-related tragedy makes the headlines.

Perhaps we don’t fear “death” as much as the “dying process” and the potential for pain and suffering. Seeing death in any form, whether it be autumn leaves falling or a person we love dying, can call us to face questions we would rather avoid.  Probably the most common is, “What will happen to me when I die?”

Although autumn leaves and prayers for All Saints Day and All Souls Day might seem to be a harsh reminder of death, we can also be encouraged to reflect on the mystery of eternal life.  Dead leaves that seem to have no value are transformed by winter snow and spring rain.  The barren branches bear the potential for new life.  No new life happens without the dying process.  We cannot grow without dying to ourselves.

The heart of the issue of life is not how long one lives but the “quality” of the life that one lives.  None of us should take life for granted.  Live today as if it were your last day on earth.

In the late 1840s, Ireland was an island of misery due to the potato famine, starvation, disease and harsh oppression.  One day, a messenger came running up to Michael and Margaret O’Reilly’s rented house.  “Michael, the farm owner wants to see you at once.”

Margaret was sure they were going to be evicted and was surprised when Michael returned and said he had been selected to go to America, get a job and when he was settled, to send for Margaret and the children.

“When will you be leaving?” asked Margaret.

“Margaret, I’ll need to be ready at any moment.  It could be within the hour, or it could be tomorrow or whenever.  It will depend on when they have a passage available on the ship heading to America.”

Margaret hurriedly packed their old suitcase with his few belongings so that he could be ready to leave at any time. It was also the day that Michael and Margaret stopped taking each other for granted.  Even their children noticed the difference immediately.  Mindful that Michael could be sailing off at any time, the entire family experienced each other in a genuinely loving way.  They also treated their relatives, friends and neighbors with more kindness.

Michael did not want to miss his turn to leave for America, so he never left the house without his suitcase.  The first time he entered the village pub carrying the suitcase, he was asked where he was going. Michael responded, “I’m standin’ by to go to America, and I’ll get word at any time to be leaving, so I am ready to go.”  He soon got the nickname of Michael Standin-by.

The days turned to weeks, and the weeks turned to months, but Michael and Margaret were patient and still treated each other and everyone else as if it were their last day together.

Then one day, a neighbor came by and asked Michael for help on his farm.  The weather was bad, but Michael knew he had to help as he might never get the chance again.  Of course, he took his suitcase with him.

A few hours later, the neighbor returned but alone.  With his cap over his heart and tears in his eyes, he told Margaret there was an equipment failure and Michael was dead.

Margaret ran to the dead body of her beloved husband.  She was heartbroken but knew deep inside that Michael was ready to go and standin-by to meet the Lord.

If you and I lived each day as if it were our last day on earth, I am sure that we would live more fully and treat each other with extra respect and love. 

The season of autumn can be a source of enrichment for us. A time to gain a deeper trust in God’s love of each one of us, as we heard in the readings today.

The Book of Wisdom reminds us that “The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them.”  Romans says, “If then we died with Christ, we believe that we shall live with Him.”  And, the Gospel of John states, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me … for this is the will of my Father that everyone may have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day.”

We who are Irish have an old expression about ourselves concerning death: “We Irish would rather die than talk about death.” Yet, when death comes, we do celebrate the passage from human life on earth with its limitations to the new eternal life that Christ promises to each of us who keeps His word.

Two of my favorite Irish toasts to you on this Feast of All Souls are:

“May you live to be 130, with one extra year to repent.”

“Here’s to your coffin … may it be made with hundred-year-old oak trees,

which I will plant tomorrow.”

Have a Blessed Feast of All Souls.