February 3, 2018

All Souls Saturday; Post-feast of the Encounter; the Holy and Just Simeon Who Received God and the Prophetess Anna

Read
1 Corinthians 10:23-28; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
Luke 21:8-9, 25-27, 33-36; John 5:24-30


Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

If we profess Christ truly, we profess Christ resurrected. If we profess Christ resurrected then we confess that death has been conquered and that we have new life in Christ. This is what Our Lord Jesus Christ in today’s Gospel reading points us to: this central belief of our Christian faith. But do we live this out in our daily lives? Do we understand how radical a belief this is? It is a belief that is implicitly rejected by so many in our society who embrace what St. John Paul II referred to as the “culture of death.”

As Christians we embrace true life that comes forth from the tomb on Pascha. This is at the core of what it means to be pro-life. In a society where there exists abortion, euthanasia, and various activities which gravely diminish the dignity of the human person, we are called through our baptism to confess life. Being pro-life therefore is not simply a political view or what some may see as an antiquated morality. It is far from those things which are very much of this world. No. To be pro-life means to be pro-Resurrection. To be pro-life means to confess Christ and to continually strive to embrace the fullness of life in Him. The Church in advocating a pro-life position is simply living the faith entire and true; it is being consistent. It is hard often in our families, in our schools, and in our workplaces to advocate such a belief and we can suffer shame and insult as a result, but remember that Our Lord suffered this first and through the Passion led us to the Resurrection. Let us not fear our faith and what it calls us to, but instead fully embrace the radical new life it gives us. In charity and truth call others around you to the life in the Resurrected Christ.