After Joseph of Arimathea claimed the body of Jesus, he laid it in his own tomb, which was new and unused. Today we think of used cars, used clothes, used houses as somewhat lesser, and may consider a new tomb in which none had been laid as a good thing and an honorable gesture.
In fact, it was the opposite. When the Old Testament speaks of the dead being gathered to their fathers, it’s a reminder that people were laid in tombs with the remains of those who had come before. There was continuity. When only bones were left, the remains might be placed into an ossuary or even mingled with the bones of other ancestors. All the long line of loved ones were together in one place until the resurrection.
A fresh tomb in which no one has been laid is an impossibly lonely image. It speaks of the desolation of Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Even in death, our Lord was alone.
But with the resurrection, the poles reverse and death takes on a new meaning. In Christ, none of us are ever alone. Those who came before and achieved the everlasting crown of glory now gaze on the face of God. They remain a part of the Church and form a bridge between heaven and earth, gathering round us at mass to sing Holy Holy Holy. All the saints in heaven are as near as the next prayer.
Our loved ones may be with God or on their way to Him, but they have not left us, and their love is only perfected, because they have come face to face with Love itself.
All Souls Days, 2021
Today: Sit in silence for a moment, thinking about those you love who have died. Hold them in your heart, and lift them up to God.