Jesus, crushed for our sins and hung back onto a tree
Jesus' passion and death on a tree is the reverse of the story in Genesis
INTRO: In a way, Jesus' passion and death on a tree is the reverse of the story in Genesis, and in a way is a bookend to Original Sin. Jesus, the fruit of Mary’s womb, is crushed for our sins and hung back onto a tree. In that instant, death and the original sin are defeated. Does that mean we are free of Original Sin? Nope! We are still born with the stain of that sin.
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
Wisdom 3:1-9
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Romans 6:3-9
John 6:37-40
Last week the reflection included a discussion on fruit. Today the topic re-arises. The readings for today celebrate the Commemoration of All Faithful, previously known as All Souls Day. This celebration would never have been necessary except for the sin of Adam and Eve. You may recall Eve picking the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In so doing, she and Adam crushed the fruit while consuming it. When that happened, the gates of heaven closed and sin and death came into the world.
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An unknown author wrote the first reading from the Book of Wisdom about fifty years before Christ. He wrote in Greek with a Hebrew style. From the writings, it appears that the author was very knowledgeable of the earlier books of the Old Testament.
The reading from the book addresses the difficult topic of death. The verses intend to console the living over the deaths of their families and friends. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, the souls of their loved ones could not enter heaven. Instead, the Book of Wisdom consoles the living with the knowledge that the deceased loved ones are in the hands of God and that they will suffer no harm.
Those who live in this world will live with the hope of immortality. It ends with, “Those who trust in Him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide in Him in love: because grace and mercy are with His holy ones, and His care is with the elect.” Because the gates of Heaven were closed, the souls of the just would reside in Limbo until the Messiah re-opens the gate to heaven.
The responsorial from Psalm 23 complements the first reading from the Book of Wisdom. Here we see the verse, “Though I walk in the Valley of Darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.” Does this mean that I am immune from harm? I don’t think so.
As we saw earlier in the reading from the Book of Wisdom, “For if before men, they be punished, yet is their hope full of Immortality … they shall be greatly blessed because God tried them and found them worthy of Himself.” The book comforted the people of that time. It is just as reassuring to us. Christians are under attack today. We need to remember the consolation provided by the Book of Wisdom for friends and family who are deceased. It is also a consolation for our suffering.
The gospel reading from John adds to the reading from the Book of Wisdom and the Psalm. Jesus tells His followers He will not reject anyone who comes to Him. The will of the Father is that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life and He will raise him on the last day. This is a major addition to that written in the Old Testament. This implies that the faithful will have eternal life and, in addition, be raised physically on the last day.
The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans adds more information on death and resurrection since Paul wrote it after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Paul tells us that just as Jesus was, “raised from death by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.” Paul tells us that just as death no longer has power over Jesus, it also has no power over us.
Of course, we still have to deal with those in Heaven and Purgatory. Those in Heaven are finally home. Those in Purgatory still need to be refined like gold and be purer than Ivory Snow. Our prayers help expedite those being cleansed. This is why we pray for the dead at every mass, at funerals, and celebrate all Soul’s Day. We are also encouraged to pray for the dead on our own.
The Church and tradition tell us the souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves, but they can pray for us. If we pray for a friend or a loved one then their time in Purgatory can be shortened. If they are already in Heaven, then the prayer is applied to a deserving soul still in Purgatory.
If you recall the beginning of the reflection, I mentioned that our problems began when Adam and Eve picked the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and crushed it while consuming it. The result was that the gate of Heaven closed and sin and death came into the world.
In the gospels, the topic of fruit is reintroduced. We read that Mary traveled to visit Elizabeth immediately after the Annunciation. Elizabeth greets her with great joy. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth exclaims, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
In the end, Jesus, the fruit of Mary’s womb, is crushed for our sins and hung back onto a tree. In that instant, death and the original sin are defeated. The gates of heaven are reopened for all the just from the beginning of time until the end of time.
A few weeks ago, Ron Bruni brought up the subject of bookends. In a way, Jesus' passion and death on a tree is the reverse of the story in Genesis, and in a way is a bookend to Original Sin. Does that mean we are free of Original Sin? Nope! We are still born with the stain of that sin. But, through Jesus’ sacrifice and the sacrament of Baptism, we can be cleansed of that stain on our soul.
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