“On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples; he will swallow up death forever.” (Isaiah 25:7-8)
Isaiah sings praise: LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things. You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress. Then the great banquet: on this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people's disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
The Catechism identifies he will swallow up death forever as one of the clearest Old Testament prophecies of the resurrection, fulfilled in Christ's victory over death (CCC 1040). Paul quotes this verse in 1 Corinthians 15:54.
Brothers and sisters, he will swallow up death forever and wipe away the tears from all faces. This is the destination of all Isaiah's visions: the banquet on the mountain, the shroud destroyed, death swallowed, tears wiped. The God who removes the shroud has already begun this work in the resurrection of his Son. Death has been swallowed. The tears will be wiped. Hold on.
Lord God, you will swallow up death forever and wipe away the tears from all faces. We trust this. Let it sustain us until it arrives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.