"...whoever keeps my word will never see death."
John 8:51
The opening verse for today's gospel, quoted above, can be confusing especially to younger people and others who might not have had the advantage of biblical teaching or studies. Jesus is not speaking of physical death. Thus far in human history there has not been the first human being not to have died -- except those of us currently on the face of the earth who just do not know when the final moment of life will be. We know it is coming at some point in the future.
Most of us know that Jesus is referring to eternal life. WE will die but for those who have embraced the life that God puts before us there is Jesus' promise of eternal life ... a new life, a different life. It is through the Paschal mystery that has brought to us the gift of eternal life with God in his kingdom.
As we approach the beginning of Holy Week and the opportunity of walking with Jesus through his suffering and death, we are given the opportunity once again to further understand appreciate the graces of the eternal life that has been given to the entire world by one man's death.
The photo above is from a banner that hangs outside the Walters Gallery in Baltimore, MD. At the present time there is a display of "reliquaries" and several other ancient items that were used throughout the centuries to encase a part of a person's body, a relic, or that contained an oil or water or a piece of cloth that had touched the body or a relic of a holy person, usually considered a saint. It is a marvelous display of ancient handicraft and a reminder of a practice still held as sacred in our Church today. Until recently a part of the process of canonization of an individual to be raised to the dignity of sainthood, when the person's coffin was opened, a bone from the leg, arm or hand was removed and used to prepare many very tiny "first class relics" that would be inserted in a reliquary. This would then be made available to the faithful and used to seek the intercession of the saint in seeking miracles for individuals who might be sick, infirmed, etc. If you are in the Baltimore area, the visit is worth the time to learn more about specific individuals whose relic has been encased in a reliquary and to see remarkable craftsmanship that produced these items.
