Today Jesus tells us: "Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." (Lk 20: 38) In this instance he is referring directly to Abraham Isaac and Jacob however when we think of "all" it can be taken as the whole of the human race. That all human beings, alive or dead, from Adam and Eve onwards, are all alive to God is fitting but also mind boggling. It means that in the Mass, when we come into the presence of God, we are also present in a mysterious way to all of those who have preceded us in this life. We acknowledge this at the close of the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest says: "And so, with the company of Angels and Saints, we sing the hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim" (EP for the Dead IV) The Mass is a sacrifice efficacious for both the living and the dead. The Council of Trent taught: "And forasmuch as, in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass, that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner, who once offered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross; the holy Synod teaches, that this sacrifice is truly propitiatory and that by means thereof this is effected, that we obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid, if we draw nigh unto God, contrite and penitent, with a sincere heart and upright faith, with fear and reverence." (Chapter II on the Sacrifice of the Mass) We should, therefore, have confidence in the Mass as a wonderful source of mercy and love not only for ourselves but also for loved ones died afflicted with sorrows, sins and regrets unresolved at the time of death.
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