A sermon for All Souls Day
Fr. Mike Paraniuk
HCP columnist
For years, I listened on the radio to the great story teller Garrison Keillor on his show "Prairie Home Companion." There was one story he told I have remembered to this day, called "After a Fall." It has a lesson for us today as we celebrate All Souls Day.
Spring had arrived. Farmers were tilling their field using a tractor pulling a disc plow with sharp metal plates to break up the soil. It is boring work but must be done before planting the seeds.
The tractor moves very slowly as the farmer goes up and down the field. One day a farmer got so bored he fell asleep and fell off the tractor. He woke up hitting the ground between the tractor and the sharp discs. Immediately he grabbed the tow bar as the tractor kept moving. He pulled himself up as far as he could but not high enough to reach the throttle lever. The tractor kept moving and blades kept spinning.
He held onto that tow bar for dear life. If he let go, his body would be dragged under the blades that would slice him like a knife through warm butter. His arms and hands grew weaker as the tractor dragged him through soil and cow manure, but he kept holding on. The small field felt to him like it was miles long.
The slow moving tractor burst out of the field. It climbed up a hill and into the woods. The farmer's strength was all used up. He could not hold on any longer. Miraculously, the tractor hit a tree. It stopped. He lay there on the ground for a few moments. He got up slowly, climbed on to the seat, disengaged the throttle and turned off the engine stopping the rotating discs.
The farmer sat on the seat exhausted. He realized how close he came to death but was grateful he could live to see a sunrise once more.
This experience changed how he looked at life. God gave him another chance. He appreciated his family and friends more. Life's little things took on a new meaning. He found a new joy in teaching his young girl how to ride a bike, taking his son fishing, helping his wife with chores around the house. He used to complain that these things interrupted his plans for the day.
Now, he saw these things as part of his real life. Sickness of a child or a family member can be looked at in two ways. You can view it as a disruption of a family's plans or as a way for God to deepen your faith in Him, strengthen you to make the sacrifices that love demands, and grow in compassion. Psalm 116:5 says, "our God is full of compassion."
All Souls Day reminds us we do not have here a lasting city. The bible says, "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." (Hebrews 13:14.) We who are still down here must prepare to enter into a new home.
Abraham knew this. "Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God." (Hebrews 11:10.) What must we do to enter into this city built by God?
The answer is simple. Hold onto Jesus and don't let go. Hold onto faith in Him. Hold onto His will for you. Hold onto His mercy. Hold onto hope that death does not have the last word but is only the means to enter into eternal life. Hold onto Jesus as tightly as that farmer who held onto the tow bar so he would not be sliced to pieces. If you let go of Jesus the devil is more than pleased to cut you off from eternal life.
We remember our loved ones today who have "been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb." (Rev. 7:4.)
My grandmother Fena often would say, "I pray to God I die and be in Heaven."
God fulfilled her hope on June 6, 1975. She could not read or write, but she had the wisdom of a saint. I hope to see God one day with grandma by my side. Happy All Souls Day.