Posted by The WORD in other words (2022) by Fr Pio Estepa SVD – Divine Word Seminary, Quezon City
8th Sunday in Ordinary Time – C
Where, o Death, is your sting? ―1 Cor 15:55
I look at myself in the mirror and worry at the progressive graying of hair on my head and the spread of wrinkles on my face and neck. Painless though they are for my body, they sting my soul as grim warnings not only of irreversible aging but also of creeping mortality. That is not to say that older people come closer to death than young ones do. A grave accident or some painful symptom of an undiagnosed illness can just as quickly raise the stinging question: “Doc, is it serious? Will I still recover?”
The worst “sting of death” is grief. It instinctively makes us raise questions for which no answers―however profound and poetic― can affectively satisfy. Why now? …why so sudden or cruel way? … why him or her and not me?… Many more readily bear the grim prospect of their own death than the sudden loss of a beloved one ―be it spouse or parent, sibling or friend.
Where, o Death, is your victory? ―1 Cor 15:55
In the second reading of this Sunday, St Paul sums up the heart of our Christian faith: Jesus ―as any human― suffered death, but he rose anew as divine Savior! So anyone who lives by this “good news” will not be spared of death either … but can come to share in His Risen Life.
It is not impious to ask: Do faithful Christians really face death with less anguish and more courage than non-believers do? To this blunt question, we cannot honestly give a simple yes. For our faith makes no promise that God will spare us of the pains and griefs that come with dying or bereaving. Jesus himself was no stoic. He wept upon learning the decease of His dear friend Lazarus. St Mark further reports that He raised a loud cry before exhaling His last breath on the cross.
Christian martyrs down the centuries have also cried in pain and shook with terror at the height of tortures. Yet, their prayerful union with the Crucified Jesus assured them of His shepherding company through the cold dark night of death. And faithful living by the Gospel bolstered their hope for the heavenly life after this earthly life, their hope for joyous communion with the saints around the Risen Christ. As with them, so can also be with us. Thus, St Paul gladly concludes:
Thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ―1 Cor 15:57
