Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We had the great fortune last week to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints on a Sunday and so it gave us time to reflect on where we are going in life. The tomb of St. Peter can be seen today in Rome several stories beneath the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica. Excavations of this very extensive necropolis of Christians and pagans was done quietly during the Second World War and should not be missed on your trip to Rome, which every Christian needs to do.
The bones of Peter were found close to the red wall that says: Peter is here. The best proof that the bones are Peter’s is the fact that no bones from the feet are there. The smaller the bone the more likely it will not deteriorate and so it is very unusual that these bones are missing. However, since tradition says that Peter was crucified upside down it is very likely he was removed from his cross by cutting off his feet.
In the first centuries of Christianity the grave of a martyr was soon the place of a small altar and chapel and then as devotion grew the size of the church over the grave increased. In fact the site of St. Peter’s Basilica was mostly a swamp twenty centuries ago. No reason to put a church there unless someone of great importance was there.
As Cardinal Ratzinger says in his book Images of Hope tells us that the Franks and the Germans many centuries later built tombs close to Peter’s. It is not difficult to guess why. The tomb of Peter bore witness to the stronger power of Jesus Christ, which extends beyond death. His tomb is a sign of hope that stands over death. The tomb of Peter, like every tomb, speaks of the unavoidability of death, and it speaks above all of the resurrection. It tells us that God is stronger than death, and whoever dies in Christ passes into life. The Communion of Saints that we celebrate embraces life and death. It is a reality often ignored; the Saints are waiting for us and often Christians today don’t give them a second thought.
The cemetery is a place of hope. Whoever is buried there says: I believe you, Christ, who rose from the dead. I hold fast to you. I do not leave this world alone. I come into the Communion of Saints, who in death does not leave me.
This hope does not take away our sadness but it lets us see the truth. The image of the Pieta can help us. Mary weeping holds her dead son in her hands, after he was taken from the cross. Who could have held faster to the hope of the resurrection than she? Mary suffers. Despite her faith death pains her. Good Friday is inexpressibly dark. She suffers as one who loves, and she loves and suffers with us. Her face is full of sadness, and full of kindness. There is no bitterness, no accusation, no anger.
We can learn from the Pieta that pain accepted makes us purer and more mature, and helps us to better see the meaning of life. It helps us to see the true perspectives of where we are going. Let us always live close to the Saints, and teach the young ones to do the same. This will help men and women to overcome the despair that is so common today.