Today’s first reading is one of rich imagery bringing to life the transition from this life to the next. It gives hope and promise that there is no reason for grief for our loved one who is gone. There is certainly suffering for us left on earth to continue to move forward without them. But true love wills the good of the other. And when we read this passage from scripture, what more could we want for our “loved” ones than to be with God and devoid of strife.
Wisdom 3:1-9
”The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,/ and no torment shall touch them./ They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;/ and their passing away was thought an affliction/ and their going forth from us, utter destruction./ But they are in peace./ For if to others, indeed, they seem punished,/ yet is their hope full of immortality;/ Chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,/ because God tried them/ and found them worthy of himself./ As gold in the furnace, he proved them,/ and as sacrificial offerings[c] he took them to himself./ In the time of their judgment they shall shine/ and dart about as sparks through stubble;/ They shall judge nations and rule over peoples,/ and the Lord shall be their King forever./ Those who trust in him shall understand truth,/ and the faithful shall abide with him in love:/ Because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,/ and his care is with the elect.”