By Father Paul Nord, O.S.B.
Sunday Scripture
First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9; Response: Psalm 23:1-6; Second Reading: Romans 5:5-11; Gospel: John 6:37-40
Today we observe “All Souls Day.” Even when it falls on Sunday, the celebration of All Souls Day takes precedence. Thus, the “proper prayers” and the scripture readings for today are all taken from those designated for All Souls Day.
Today’s Wisdom reading expresses belief in life after death for those who are just (righteous). It says that, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God” (3:1) and “they are in peace” (3:3). The preceding verses say: “God formed us to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made us. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are allied with him experience it” (2:23-24). These verses teach that “death” was not God’s original plan for humanity, but rather, death is a consequence of sin. Consequently, in his mercy, God receives “the souls of the just” after death.
Concerning the just, “They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead” (3:2). Instead, those who are just (righteous) shall have life with God after death. This is further indicated by the following line: “the Lord shall be their King forever.” God has acted to redeem them, because “(God’s) care is with his elect” — that is, with those whom he has chosen.
Most scholars think the Book of Wisdom was likely composed near the time of Jesus’ public ministry, or slightly before. At the time of Jesus, some Jews (e.g., Pharisees) believed in the Resurrection of the Dead, while other Jews (e.g., Sadducees) did not. The Gospels depict this disputed issue in Jewish belief.
Today’s Responsorial is Psalm 23: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Shepherd imagery is also used to describe God in Isaiah 40:11, Ezekiel 34:11-16, Sirach 18:13, and elsewhere. Psalm 23 describes God as leading the psalmist to “verdant pastures” and “restful waters” (v. 2). Similarly, it says God “guides me in right paths” and protects me “even though I walk in the dark valley” (v. 3-4a). This imagery shows God as protector and provider for his people.
“You are at my side with your rod and your staff” (v. 4b). These two items are carried by a shepherd. Attached to his belt, the rod is an instrument of self-defense. The shepherd wields the rod to strike savage animals that threaten his sheep. The staff has two purposes. First, a shepherd steadies himself with his staff as he walks. Second, the shepherd uses the staff to guide his sheep together, keeping them away from danger. God also feeds them: “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes” (v. 5).
Next is a powerful passage from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (5:5). The preceding verses make it clear that Paul is talking about the hope that sustains Christ’s disciples even when they are suffering affliction. This hope comes from Jesus Christ himself, whose Incarnation reveals the “love of God” for humanity. Further, 5:8 says: “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
Now that Christ is risen from the dead, “the Holy Spirit … has been given to us.” This gift is possible because “we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.” The indwelling of the Holy Spirit unites us with God in a powerful way that must be preceded by reconciliation and redemption from sin.
God’s redemptive actions are the emphasis of this Romans passage. God sent his son,
Jesus, to die for us. God justified us by Christ’s blood. God reconciled us to himself in this way. Then God sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. For these reasons “we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul says. But our boasting is about God’s actions, not our own. We have been saved and reconciled to God by God’s own initiative and power.
Today’s Gospel comes from the “Bread of Life Discourse” (John’s Gospel, chapter 6). Jesus says: “I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me” (6:38). Jesus is referring to God the Father, “the one who sent me.” Jesus is insisting that his actions are done in union with the will of God the Father. This is a re-statement of something Jesus says repeatedly in John’s Gospel, “the Father has sent me, and I do his will.” Thus, Jesus has come from heaven, from God.
This prepares for two key claims which Jesus makes in the following verses, John 6:41-51. First: “I am the bread of life” which gives life to those who receive him. Second, Jesus says: “I have come down from heaven.” Jesus has “come down” because God the Father sent him “from heaven” to redeem humanity.
Jesus then describes the will God the Father who sent him into the world: “that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day” (6:39). This refers to those who have believed and followed Jesus. God the Father has given them to Jesus that they may not be lost, but rather that Christ “should raise (them) on the last day.”
Jesus continues to describe the will of God the Father. It is “that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life.” Since only God can give life, Jesus’ promise to raise his followers to new life shows that Jesus is acting in union with God the Father. But to receive life from God, we must believe in his Son. In 6:44, Jesus says “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him.” Therefore, if we believe in Christ, our faith is a gift from God — not a result of our own virtue.