Fr Nicholas Onyait MCCJ
The Church is a mother. As a mother, she nurtures her children right from the time of conception to the time of their demise from this world. She accompanies her children through their life with the word of God, different teachings and Sacraments which initiate her children into a life of grace. Among her teachings are the seven-corporal works of mercy. These include: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, giving shelter to strangers, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned and burying the dead. The month of November is dedicated to praying for the dead and so it is connected to the corporal works of mercy of burying and praying for the dead. When one gives a critical look on the seven works of mercy, it is inevitable that one realizes that they are gestures of solidarity and sympathy with those who are in need. These seven gestures give a loud call to care for one another. They go hand in hand in such away that the last one of them, that is; burying and praying for the dead has more sense and meaning only if the prior ones were accomplished.
Looking at the present day “trends”, there are many people who attend funerals and take bouquets of flowers to the deceased as a sign of love and paying them respect. However, there are few who will show them love on their sick bed, or who will give them what to eat when they are hungry, or visit them when they are in prison. It makes it seem that we love the dead more than the living, we care for the dead more than the living. Without necessarily making a fallacy of generalization, the dead receive more flowers than the living. A person who has never received a rose in their life time is most likely to have several wreaths of roses laid on their casket. It is good and befitting to show love to the dead, however, it makes more sense if we have shown them the same love and concern while they were alive. The same way we are willing to contribute condolence fees and messages should be the same way we contribute for the care of those who are sick, in prison, for those who are hungry and thirsty (Mathew 25). Otherwise, it makes no sense to care for the dead and ignore the living.
The Church, the body of Christ, founded on Christ Himself and built on the Apostolic tradition not only canonizes saints, she also admonishes sinners and teaches them the precepts of the Lord. It is on this background that we ought to learn from her teachings that accompany us through life to that, which is good and holy, to that which is the will of God for our choice and way of living. God showed solidarity to us by becoming incarnate, sharing in our humanity. We can live with the same solidarity by sharing in the situations of others who make a cry of help to us. In such away, Christ will be truly incarnate in us.
