Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We have the great fortune this 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 five 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. Therefore, most people believe that these bones are from the first Bishop of Rome.
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 would increase. In fact the site of St. Peter’s Basilica was mostly a swamp twenty centuries ago and so there was no reason to put a church there unless someone of great importance was buried there.
As Cardinal Ratzinger says in his book Images of Hope tells us that the Franks and the Germans eight 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. Nothing would please the saints more than to help us; to give us this power to overcome fear and anxiety and to use them as intercessors to God.
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 that in death does not leave me. The this great crowd of witnesses standing behind me I need not fear anything.
The gospel of the Beatitudes is ten invitations to perfect love, to love as Christ loved. They are a promise that God makes to us. These beatitudes are not something we can do on our own strength; it is possible only if we have the Spirit of Christ. It is the new Decalogue that only Christ can fulfill. The meek must profess great courage to accept the yoke of Christ; they are not cowards, no wimps. The meek hear the voice of God and experience his power.
Blessed are the merciful for they will obtain mercy. Perhaps mercy is what we most desire from others. We hope that they don’t judge us and that they give us the benefit of the doubt. Therefore, it should be the one thing we want to give to others, knowing how much we want it ourselves. Misericordia in Latin or Spanish has the word for heart in the middle of it (cor). When we see the misery of another our heart goes out to them. The root of this work in Hebrew is related to womb. When we are merciful to others, we give them new life, like a mother’s womb brings the possibility of new life.
It is beautiful how this gospel begins: Jesus went up to the mountain, like Moses, and sat down and his disciples came to him. They didn’t have to be called for a class or a talk. They had a deep desire to be with him, to come to him, and sit at his feet. We have the same possibility to sit at the feet of Christ and to spend several minutes, or longer, with him each day. The saints would also help us to love him, to be a little more like them, and to live with our eyes fixed on heaven.