2 November 2020 - All Souls Day - John 6:37-40

      The month of November starts out with important commemorations in our faith.  Yesterday, on November 1, we celebrated the feast of All Saints, the community of saints who are in eternal life in union with God, whose example of faith and whose prayers accompany us on our journey.  Today, we commemorate a special group of the faithful departed. 

      As I think of these two feast days, I think of them in this way.  We have those in the community of saints who have died and who are now in eternal life with God, who have a face to face relationship with God for all of eternity.  We also have the community of saints, the members of the Church, who are still here on earth, living as disciples of Christ.  These baptized Christians are part of the pilgrim Church on earth, on their journey in hopes of ultimate union with God.  Then we have the group we commemorate today especially on All Souls Day, those who have died but who are in the midst of a process of purification, getting them ready for their union with God.  On earth, we strive toward perfection, but do not reach that perfection.  Those souls need this purification process before their enter eternal union with God.  Today, we lift up our prayers for the souls in purgatory, helping them and praying for them in the midst of this process of purification. 

       Today, also, we remember our loved ones who have passed away this past year.  It is challenging and difficult for us when our loved ones leave this earthly life and enter eternal life.  We remember them in a special way in our mass today.  We pray for them, for ourselves, and for all those who mourn and grieve at the loss of a loved one.  In our Gospel today, Jesus tells us that he has come to do the will of the Father, and it is the will of the Father that everyone who see the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, that Jesus will raise them up on the last day.   That is a central belief of our faith, a belief rooted in Christ’s life and ministry.  We here at St Jude offer our prayers and love for you and for your dearly departed loved ones as we commemorate All Souls Day and our mass of remembrance.