Several years ago, a group of Christians visited war-torn Nicaragua. While there, a young man in this group was killed by the Contras. This left the group confused and full of questions. The following Sunday a memorial service was held. From the altar, the priest said, “The peace of the Lord be with you,” and people from the Nicaraguan congregation began to embrace the visitors, and say, “Paz” (peace). These people who had suffered in so many ways were passing the peace of Christ.
During the Communion service, there was a pause; the congregation was silent. Then someone called out a name. In one voice everyone responded, “Presente!” Another name was called out. Once again the response was, “Presente!” During the service, at least 20 names were called out, and each time, the same response: “Presente!”
Ron DelBene, the pastor leading this group of Christians, did not understand what was happening until he heard the name Oscar Romero. Then he realized that all the names were those of persons who had died. From that moment on he joined in shouting, “Presente!”
“Presente” is used by school children to answer roll call. At the Lord’s Table, the word “presente” means “in our midst” or “present with us.” Shouting “Presente!” during their worship service was a way of proclaiming the reality of the communion of saints. Although those persons named had all died, their presence and influence was still felt.
We just celebrated All Saints Day. We remember our loved ones who have died, but whose presence is still felt in our lives even though they now rest from their labors. This is the time to remember and give thanks to God for having been part of the lives of our loved ones.
And this is what St. Paul was talking about when he talked about the saints. We are surrounded by a multitude of people who have gone ahead of us, but assures us that endurance is possible, that hardship at its worst is but for the day, that the grace of God will sustain us, and that the joys of faith’s rewards are enduring.
They show us how to greet the promised fulfillment. And this cloud of witnesses is not merely composed of spectators of our running, but witnesses to the faithfulness of the God who made a promise.
A young pastor tells about the most devastating event of his life, the death of his mother. At first, his mother complained of pain in her side; the pain did not go away. She went to the doctor but nothing could be found. A few weeks later after more examination, it revealed that her entire colon and liver were covered with cancer. Four months later, his mother died, with her entire family gathered around the bed as she breathed her last.
His mother was a beautiful person, this pastor writes, because of her deep faith in God, and her commitment to her family, she never complained about her pain or about her life being cut short at the age of 49. Throughout her suffering, his mother would say, “I thank God for my family and my life.” Even though she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, his mother radiated the joy that comes from placing her total trust in God. Each morning, her husband would say to her, “This is the day which the Lord has made!” And courageously, she would respond, “Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” That is “saint-like faith” living life, trusting nothing other than God.
Thus, as we remember our loved ones, we come to God with thanksgiving. We remember those fellow-citizens of the household of God who are no longer present among us in body, but whose memory we hold dear, and who have now joined that larger city toward which we are all travelling, and in which we already hold citizenship, the New Jerusalem, the City of God. They are the saints in the past who handed down to us our heritage of faith. As we call them, they respond, Presente!
In remembering them, we find courage and faith to try, however difficult it may be, to be faithful ourselves in responding to the ministry that God has called us to do.
