St. Martin of Tours lived in the 4th century, but he remains a very popular saint to this day. Born of pagan parents, he was forced to serve in the military starting at a very young age. He left the military service as an adult, following a call to serve Christ in a special way in service to the Church. A famous recollection about Martin recounts how he as a soldier met a beggar on the road, how all he had on him was he weapon and his cloak. He cut his cloak in half and gave the other half to this poor man. It was a strange sight to see Martin only wearing half a cloak, but he knew he did the right thing. Martin later became the Bishop of Tours. He worked hard during his lifetime not only fighting the heresies in the Church, but also in trying to bring the heretics back into the flock. He died in Gaul, modern-day France, in 397.
Our first readings this week at Daily Mass are from the book of Wisdom. Part of today’s reading is frequently the first reading at a Catholic funeral liturgy. Wisdom declares that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” Many in our world still believe that when our earthly existence comes to an end, our life abruptly comes to an end. Yet, the book of Wisdom sees a different destiny for those who place their hope in God. Our reading concludes today by asserting that “grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.” We started this month with the celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. These important feast days in our Catholic faith are in the spirit of what we hear from the Book of Wisdom today. As we hear this reading today from Wisdom, we unite our prayers with the prayers of the community of saints to pray for the faithful departed, especially those souls in purgatory.
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