What is life? Life is all about change and becoming. A single big bang and all the matter and energy there is in the universe come to be. In one massive explosion after another, the particles become evermore complex until the whole universe is strewn with cosmic dust swirling around stars aborning all over the place. In some of the bigger clumps of cosmic dusts, water and air slowly arise. In one of these, now planets, the stardust is churned by waves and tides in a primeval soup of water and air, warmed by the ongoing explosions. And slowly, the inert stellar debris changes into living organisms in this planet called Earth. In a million years, actually but a moment in eternity, the living organisms once more change into living beings, like fish, birds, animals. And in another million years, again but a moment in eternity, a living being changes and acquires a consciousness and becomes man.
A baby in the womb has a consciousness but is totally oblivious of the world outside. And yet, in some mysterious ways for him, he senses a strong connection with that outside world. He knows there is more to life than the womb he is so securely ensconced in. He feels to be forever bathed in waves of pleasurable sensations which he will later know to be joy, happiness, peace and love. Sometimes, there are also waves of bad and sour feelings which he will later learn to be anxiety, fear, apprehension. In the womb, there is no dark and light to separate time into day and night. The womb is a timeless place. It could, in fact, be an eternity for the growing baby in the womb. And if the baby had his way, he would probably have chosen to stay in the safety and comfort of the womb forever. But life is all about change and becoming.
Life as we know it has gone from inert to living to being conscious. And everything points to life continuing on as a consciousness outside of the physical. We do not know what it is exactly. But like the baby in the womb, we know there is more to life that just the here and now. There are times we experience life that is not physically bound. Man paints, writes, sings and creates independent of his physical existence. There are thin places where we get a glimpse of what is eternal and of what is divine. Pure conscious existence, unmediated by what is physical. Beyond our here and now, there is the eternal moment.
Today is the Feast of All Souls – Dia de los Muertos. It is in memory of our dearly departed. It is also a celebration of life – not being taken away but changing into the next level. For our God is the God of the Living. Nothing and no one ever dies in His sight.
As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Luke 7:11-17