Ministering to the dying is an important part of the life and ministry of any parish priest. These winter months have been particularly difficult here in the parish with what seems to be an increase in the number of our brothers and sisters who have gone to the Lord. The experience of death paradoxically is both fearful and fascinating. Dr. Sherman Neuland in a book of some years ago, entitled How we Die , details in a very clinical manner what happens to the human body when it goes through the stages of dying. As a priest and one who over the years has been called to minister to people in the midst of this difficult process, I figured that this would be a good book for me to read in providing helpful clinical background to this most universal of human experiences. In reading the book, however, I too found myself fascinated by the complexity of the process. We human beings do not go quietly into the night of death. Every fiber of our being resists this experience as we cling to the gift and treasure life is for us.
There is, however, another body of literature concerning death, that is gaining popularity these days. Writings that speak of those men and women who have had what are called “near death” experiences and survive. The stories they tell, all seem to point to an experiential affirmation that there is another dimension to our existence even in death. These stories speak of a peaceful letting go of fear and an attraction to what some have called “a great light” that surrounds an individual at this time of passage. Others have a clear recollection of seeing and hearing loved ones welcoming them as they leave one world and venture forth into another. Many individuals who survive these near death experiences speak of a tremendous calm and transformation of fear into great peacefulness in the face of death after such experiences.
What are to make of all this? As Christians, of course, such anecdotal information can be a powerful reaffirmation of the fundamental Christian belief that life does not end but rather continues through death. St. Paul reminds us that you and I are destined for glory by the one who has brought light and unending life to the world.
No wonder then that down through the centuries the symbol of fire and light have been important in our ritual tradition. At the great Easter Vigil, the most solemn of all the Church’s liturgical celebrations, the new fire dispels the darkness of night as the Paschal candle is lite from this fire and brought into the darkened Church. “Light of Christ”, is sung as the flame is passed from one person to another eventually transforming a place of darkness into the brilliance of hundreds of candles bringing light and warmth to this holy place.
On the Feast that gathers us here in celebration today, the Presentation of the Lord, Mary and Joseph as pious Jews fulfill the requirement of the Mosaic Law and bring the newborn Christ child to the Temple, 40 days after his birth. Conscious that all good gifts come from the hand of God, they humbly and gratefully acknowledge this gift of all gifts as uniquely belonging to the Lord of all creation. As they do so, a mysterious encounter takes place between the child’s parents and two elderly people, symbols of both wisdom and promise - Simeon and Anna. Both speak prophetically and poetically about the meaning and destiny of this little child cradled in his mother’s arms. “He will be a revealing light to the Gentiles - to all peoples” prophesies Simeon; and Anna and goes forth and speaks of the deliverance and freedom which this child will bring to all.
The long awaited promise God had made to his people is finally fulfilled in Jesus. Simeon and Anna understood with their hearts that from that moment on nothing would ever be the same. The darkness of ages past has given way to the dawn of a new chapter in the history of humanity. A history that would never fully be understood without the Christ who is “yesterday, today and forever” the same light and life for the world.
As we bless and light candles this day, that very simple gesture and symbol that adorns our times of worship, may they always remind us of the one who brings light to every darkened corner of our lives and our world. May we rejoice in the one who offers us new beginnings in his love; promises freedom to those enslaved by sin; and fills those who walk in the valley of darkness with the bright light of hope when eternity dawns.