Keep going back to Scripture for more

The opening to tomorrow's reading from the Book of Wisdom struck me as never before:

"God formed man to be imperishable;
   the image of his own nature he made them.
But by the envy of the Devil, death entered the world,
   and they who are in his possession experience it."

We usually focus, as at funerals, on the next verses: "The souls of the just are in the hand of God..." It is a marvelously consoling and upbeat passage. That is only right. But maybe, especially in this month of November, we just might need a bit of sobering up and a full stop to contemplate those first words.

We live in a world which takes too much in stride when it comes to death; it is a world possessed, which pushes away the fullness of life in Christ. We live in a violent, death-dealing world, which aborts, euthanizes and brings death upon itself, a world in the possession of the Devil.

We need to redouble our prayers and sacrifices for those who have gone before us in death, but we also need to be less intimidated by those who are far from Christ's election and the light. Ours is the better part and no one should take it from us.