The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

 Lectionary: 668

Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.

All Souls Day is as good a day as any to ponder the twin mysteries of judgement and non-judgement. 

The New and Old Testaments remind us often that we stand under judgement. Only a fool would deny this basic fact of life.  Narcissists, who are by definition fools, deny the existence of other people and care not a whit about their opinions or judgement. More clever fools will declare there is no God and no higher authority to judge them. Their only standard is themselves; but they also say they do not care what others think. 

But the fact that we judge others proves there is judgement; it's everywhere; and everyone is subject to it. In fact, we fine, penalize, incarcerate, and sometimes execute people, following our judgement of them. It's very real. Fools might imagine themselves as spiritual and their bodies as untouchable, but they can be manhandled and hauled off to jail like anyone else.

The scriptures often remind us of the judgement of God. Matthew 25 describes in close detail a final scenario and God's standards. There's not much about religion in the passage. The nations are not judged by how they worshiped, or how many churches they built and attended. In fact, they don't even recognize the Judge who declares, "What you did to others you did to me." Neither the just nor the wicked remember seeing this unexpected but all-powerful Presence. They might reply, "We have never even seen you before!"

But the nations are judged by how they treated one another. And their deeds are recorded with indelible ink in the history of the earth. 

I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. (Rev 20:12)

So now, given the fact of judgement, we move on to consider Jesus's principle of non-judgement:  

...if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. John 12: 47

This was the discipline he imposed upon himself as he announced the Kingdom of God, marched toward Jerusalem, and took up his cross when he arrived there. He would be opposed from the get-go, condemned by family, neighbors, and strangers, and finally executed. But he did not raise an army to oppose his enemies, nor did he raise a hand against those who beat, slapped, and abused him. He pronounced curses upon people who act badly, not for who they were but for their actions. (Actions have consequences, which often feel like judgement. And fools think that's unfair.) 

Because Jesus maintained his discipline of non-judgement in a very strict obedience to his Father, his disciples must practice the same discipline. Our mission is mercy, and our tools are:

"love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22)

On All Souls Day, we practice non-judgement as we remember those who have gone ahead of us into eternity. Some, were we to judge, would not pass muster. But we don't judge. Rather we pray for them with forbearance, compassion and understanding; and beg the Lord to show the same mercy to them as we'll certainly need for ourselves.