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[On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
A feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces;
The reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that He has saved us!”
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain] (Is 25:6-10a)

Our first reading today is from the prophet Isaiah.  This particular passage is commonly used at funerals because it speaks of God’s eventual salvation. In Heaven, “On this mountain”, God will take care of His people. He will feed them and wipe away every tear from their eyes. We take comfort that those who have died will not die anymore and will be at rest in the arms of our heavenly Father.

Yes, we prepare our hearts for the second coming of the Lord, but our motivation should not be one of fear. Isaiah tells us of God’s desire to save us and take us to Heaven, His holy mountain.  Our preparation Is not obedience to compulsion, but rather fidelity to a Love that defies death itself.

We don’t know when our time will come to pass from this world to the next, but we do know God promises a life of joy and peace to those who remain faithful to Him. As we continue to prepare our hearts for the second coming of Jesus the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God remains faithful to His promise of love. This is our sure and certain hope both for ourselves and all those who have died.

“Human history does not end before a tombstone, because today it encounters the “living stone” (cf. 1 Pet 2:4), the risen Jesus.” —Letter to Priests, 2019, Pope Francis