Introduction: All
Souls: May your pondering on the meaning of life and death lea
d you to a
greater appreciation of all that the Lord Jesus has done to make it possible
for us to be with Him, His Abba-Father, and the Holy Spirit – and with all
those who have been faithful and are in heaven – for all eternity.
Some people have the impression that thinking about death is
morbid. Actually, it is important for us to reflect on death. It is part of our
living here on earth. We have all experienced the loss that comes from death –
death especially of loved ones. It should have provided us the opportunity to
reflect on our mortality and, more importantly, to realize that death is only a
transition from this life to a better life. We should also realize that nothing
will separate us from the love of GOD, and therefore from all who have accepted
that love, whether they be here on earth or have “transitioned” to the fullness
of life with the Lord Jesus.
As mentioned in the reading from the Book of Wisdom, those
who have died are truly in the hands of GOD. The readings remind us that GOD
wants the best for us and will provide more than we can ever imagine. Isaiah
speaks of a time when every tear will be wiped away. The familiar Psalm 23
proclaims GOD’s protection and providence. St. Paul tells the faith-full people
of Rome that GOD has always loved us (even when we sin) and that through
baptism we share in both the death and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. In
the Gospel, Jesus promises to raise up all those who believe in Him.
Commentary: This
liturgy calls us to remember and pray for the faithful departed, while at the
same time affirming Christian hope in the resurrection and in God’s unfailing
love.
The promise of the first reading (Wisdom 3:1-9). “The
souls of the just are in the hand of God, / and no torment shall touch them…”
The Book of Wisdom assures us that “the souls of the just
are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” In other words, death
is not the end of our identity or our relationship with God; rather, it opens a
horizon in which the faithful are kept safe by the Lord. The text uses images
of purification (“as gold in the furnace… as sacrificial offerings”) and final
justice (“they shall shine… they shall judge nations”).
For us, this reading offers consolation: in the face of loss
or death, we are invited to trust that God cares for those who have gone before
us, and that their hope in the resurrection is well-founded.
The Shepherd-psalm (Psalm 23). “The Lord is my
shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”
The familiar image of the Lord as shepherd who leads and
protects gives comfort. “Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no
evil; for you are with me.” The Psalm invites us into the atmosphere of trust
and reliance on God’s presence, especially in times of grief or uncertainty.
The theology of hope in the second reading (Romans 5/6). “Hope
does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
St. Paul speaks of the love of God poured into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit, and of Christ’s death for us even while we were sinners. This text reminds us that our salvation, our hope
of resurrection, is not based on our merits, but on the initiative of God’s
love. If Christ died for us, reconciled us to God, how much more will we be
saved by his life. The alternate reading (Romans 6:3-9) deepens this by linking
our baptism into Christ’s death with our living in newness of life.
In the context of All Souls, this reading encourages us to
live in hope: death is transformed in Christ, and we hold in our heart the
conviction that the redeemed live in communion with God.
Gospel: The assurance of Jesus (John 6:37-40). “Everything
that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who
comes to me… For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son
and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last
day.”
In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims that all the Father gives him
will come to him, and he will not reject any who come. It is the Father’s will
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and
Jesus shall raise him up on the last day.
This is the heart of the Christian message here: belief in
Jesus means more than intellectual assent; it means entrusting our lives – and
our deaths – to him. For our beloved departed, this means that they are held in
this promise. For us who remain, it challenges us: are we living in such a way
that we respond to the invitation of the Father through the Son?
Reflection: Is
your hope in this present life only? What about the life to come after our
physical death? God puts in the heart of every living person the desire for
unending life and happiness. While physical death claims each of us at the
appointed time, God gives us something which death cannot touch - his own
divine life and sustaining power.
God does not abandon us to
the realm of the dead: One of the greatest examples of faith and
hope in the promise of everlasting life with God is the testimony of Job in the
Old Testament. God allowed Job to be tested through great trial, suffering, and
the loss of everything he had. In the midst of his sufferings Job did not waver
in trusting God. In chapter 19 of the Book of Job, he exclaims:
"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the
last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed,
then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes
shall behold, and not another" (Job 19:25-27).
Through testing and purification God strengthened Job in
faith and abundantly rewarded him for his trust and hope in God's promises.
King David also expressed his unwavering hope in the promise
of everlasting life with God. In Psalm 16 David prays,
Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body
also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the
dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the
path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal
pleasures at your right hand (Psalm 16:9-11).
We wait with hope for the
Lord to raise us up to everlasting life: Jesus made an incredible
promise to his disciples and a claim which only God can make and deliver:
Whoever sees and believes in Jesus, the Son of God, shall have everlasting life
and be raised up at the last day (John 6:40)! How can we see Jesus? The Lord
makes his presence known to us in the reading of his word (John 14:23), in the
breaking of the bread, and in his church, the body of Christ.
The Lord Jesus reveals himself in many countless ways to
those who seek him with eyes of faith (Hebrews 12:2, 11:27). When we read the
word of God in the Bible the Lord Jesus - who is the Word of God - speaks to us
and reveals to us the mind and heart of our heavenly Father. When we approach
the table of the Lord, Jesus offers himself as spiritual food which produces
the very life of God within us (I am the bread of life, John 6:35). He promises
unbroken fellowship and freedom from the fear of being forsaken or cut off from
everlasting life with God. And he offers us the hope of sharing in his
resurrection - being raised again with him to abundant life that will never
end. Do you recognize the Lord's presence in your life and do you long for the
day when you will see him face to face?
The Holy Spirit is the key to
growth in faith: What is the source of faith and how can we grow in
it? Faith is an entirely free gift which God offers us through his Son Jesus
Christ. We could not approach God if he did not first approach us and draw us
to himself. The Lord Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit who works in us to open our
ears to hear God's word and to respond to it with trust and submission. The
Holy Spirit is the key to our growing in faith. The Holy Spirit is our teacher
and guide who makes our faith come alive as we cooperate with his help and and
to his wisdom and instruction.
To live, grow, and persevere in faith to the end we must
nourish it with the word of God. Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) said: I
believe, in order to understand; and I understand, the better to believe. Jesus
promises that those who accept him as their Lord and Savior and submit to his
word will be raised up to everlasting life with him when he comes again at the
close of this age. Is your life securely anchored to the promises of Christ and
his kingdom of everlasting peace, joy, and righteousness?
Lord Jesus Christ, your death and resurrection brought life
and hope where there was once only despair and defeat. Give me unwavering
faith, unshakeable hope, and the fire of your unquenchable love that I may know
you fully and serve you joyfully now and forever in your everlasting kingdom.
Daily Quote from the Early
Church Fathers: Whoever sees and
believes, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"He has said two things: 'This is the work of God that
you should believe in the one whom he has sent,' while here he added, 'whoever
sees and believes.' The Jews saw but did not believe; they had the one
condition, lacked the other. How could they attain to eternal life without the
other? The reason those who saw did not attain eternal life was because they
did not also believe. If so, what about us who have believed but have not seen?
If it is those two things that earn eternal life, seeing and believing - and
whoever is lacking one of them cannot attain to the reward of eternal life -
what are we to do? The Jews [who saw him] lacked the one; we the other. They
had seeing but lacked believing. We have believing but lack seeing. Well, as
regards our having believing and lacking seeing, we have prophetically been
declared blessed by the Lord himself just as Thomas, one of the Twelve, was
blessed when he felt [Jesus'] scars by touching them." (excerpt from HOLY
VIRGINITY 3.1)
Pray daily for the dead: “It
is the will of Him Who sent Me that I should lose nothing of what He has given
Me.” —John 6:39
The Church is “the pillar and bulwark of truth” (1 Tm 3:15).
Jesus Himself founded the Church to be His Body (e.g. Eph 1:22-23), and He gave
her the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Mt 16:19). Therefore, the universal
Church will always faithfully proclaim the Lord’s will and always rightly
interpret His Word.
For two thousand years, the Church throughout the world has
authoritatively taught that we should pray for our brothers and sisters in
purgatory so that they will be purified as soon as possible and enter heaven.
The Church teaches: “From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of
the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic
sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1032). “Our prayer for them is capable not
only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective”
(Catechism, 958).
Because of the teaching of the Church, we can be sure that
it is “very excellent and noble” to pray for the dead (2 Mc 12:43). Therefore,
let us pray for the dead not only today but every day and even throughout each
day. As we pray, some of our deceased brothers and sisters are entering heaven,
and we are being graced through their prayers. “Eternal rest grant unto them, O
Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of
all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.”
Prayer: Jesus, teach us to pray for the dead daily and
frequently. “This corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptiblity.” —1
Cor 15:53. The Minton family prays for deceased Christians by name at each
meal.
The personal action for today:
When I think of those who have preceded me in making the transition from
earthly life to eternal life, what thoughts and feelings come to me? Do I sense
that there exist a bond of love between us, made possible by the One Who is
Love? Am I strengthened by the hope of the eternal life that is offered me
through the death and resurrection of Jesus? How can I reassure others of what
awaits those who are in union with the Lord Jesus and His Abba?
*The Commemoration of All the
Faithful Departed: The Church has encouraged prayer for the dead
from the earliest times as an act of Christian charity. “If we had no care for
the dead,” Augustine noted, “we would not be in the habit of praying for them.”
Yet pre-Christian rites for the deceased retained such a strong hold on the
superstitious imagination that a liturgical commemoration was not observed
until the early Middle Ages, when monastic communities began to mark an annual
day of prayer for the departed members.
In the middle of the 11th century, Saint Odilo, abbot of
Cluny, France, decreed that all Cluniac monasteries offer special prayers and
sing the Office for the Dead on November 2, the day after the feast of All
Saints. The custom spread from Cluny and was finally adopted throughout the
Roman Church.
The theological underpinning of the feast is the
acknowledgment of human frailty. Since few people achieve perfection in this
life but, rather, go to the grave still scarred with traces of sinfulness, some
period of purification seems necessary before a soul comes face-to-face with
God. The Council of Trent affirmed this purgatory state and insisted that the
prayers of the living can speed the process of purification.
Superstition easily clung to the observance. Medieval
popular belief held that the souls in purgatory could appear on this day in the
form of witches, toads or will-o’-the-wisps. Graveside food offerings
supposedly eased the rest of the dead.
Observances of a more religious nature have survived. These
include public processions or private visits to cemeteries and decorating
graves with flowers and lights. This feast is observed with great fervor in
Mexico.
Whether or not one should pray for the dead is one of the
great arguments which divide Christians. Appalled by the abuse of indulgences
in the Church of his day, Martin Luther rejected the concept of purgatory. Yet
prayer for a loved one is, for the believer, a way of erasing any distance,
even death. In prayer we stand in God’s presence in the company of someone we
love, even if that person has gone before us into death.
