The commemoration of All Saints Day and All Souls
Day in our liturgical year on November 1 and November are important occasions
that remind us that we as a Church belong to an extended family that's not
limited by time or space. Yesterday, on the first day of November, we
celebrated the saints of our Church: both the famous saints who've been
beatified or canonized, those known throughout the world, but also those saints
who are less well-known, those we may have been known personally in own our
lives before they entered eternal life, or those whose faith was known to only
God alone. On today's celebration of All Souls Day, we
remember in our prayers those souls who have died and who are still in a state
of purification, those who are still in need of our prayers.
Our first reading from the book of Wisdom stands
up against the common belief in the ancient world that life ends with
death. The book of Wisdom assures us that the souls of
the righteous are in the hand of God, that torment won't touch them. The foolish of the world believe that the
righteous have come to their end in death, but Wisdom assures us that they are
now at peace with God. We Christians believe that all those who share in
the Spirit in baptism become one in the Body of Christ, that we are united in
that Body both in life and in death. In eternal life in heaven, in a state of
purification, or on earth, the faithful are united as members of the Body of
Christ: we're all connected to one another. We're called as part of that Body to pray for the
souls who are in a state of purification. We believe with all our hearts that the community
of saints helps us with its intercessory prayers.
In today's reading from the Gospel of John, we
are told that if we live in faith, we enter into a relationship of life and
love with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit of God. As disciples, there is a mutual in-dwelling: we
live in the Father and the Son, and the Father and the Son live in us. This mutual indwelling leads us to eternal life. In our
faith, we begin a relationship with God the Father and God the Son: this
relationship continues into eternal life.
God always meets us in the reality of our lives. This year, we may have had a loved one who has
died recently, or we may particularly feel a void in our lives of a loved one who
passed away many years ago, but whose presence here on earth we still miss so
achingly. We may miss a parent or spouse who has passed
away or a child who passed away at a young age. No matter where we are on our journey, our faith
meets us both in the good times and the difficult times, in all we experience
in our lives. It is in this context that we celebrate the Feast
of All Souls, to pray for those souls who have touched our lives, for our loved
ones who are now in eternal life. We experience grief, sadness, and pain at the
death of a loved one, but we should also feel a sense of thanksgiving, thanking
God for those who have blessed us on earth with their lives. May we continue to pray for those souls in a
state of purification not only today, but throughout the year.
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