Celebrating All Souls’ Day
November 2 (Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed)
Today, we remember all the faithful departed, our brothers and sisters who have gone ahead of us. As we offer this Holy Mass for their eternal repose, we are reminded to be thankful and to be always ready. We thank the Lord for the gift of life that He has bestowed on our brothers and sisters, parents, relatives, and friends who have shared this gift that they had with us. We take into heart the memories and wisdom that they have imparted to us and we believe and are hopeful, as in the First Reading today from the Book of Wisdom that ‘their souls are in the hand of God.’ Secondly, we take the challenge to be always ready by living our life well here on earth.
The Parable in today’s Gospel teaches us that when the end of time will come, the Lord will sit on His throne as judge. The basis and criteria for His judgment is on what we have done to our brothers and sisters in great need: the hungry, those who are thirsty, the stranger, those who have no means for clothing, the sick, and the imprisoned. Did I practice compassion in my relationship with other people? The word compassion comes from two Latin words: cum and passio which literally means ‘to suffer with.’ When we have compassion, we have a feeling of sorrow or deep tenderness for one who is suffering or experiencing misfortune. This is what our Lord reminds us in today’s Gospel: when we have compassion and extended help to these in great need, we will be part of the flock who can enter the Kingdom because the King said: “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” At that moment, these persons recognized the Lord’s face revealed behind the faces of those they have reached out to. The King welcomes them into His glory: “Come, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” But if we have not given much attention to those in need, it is like we have not done something as well for the King. We will be like those who could not enter the Kingdom. A spiritual writer once said, “Heaven will be inherited by every person who has heaven in his soul.”
During this month of November, the Church dedicates this in praying for all the faithful departed. We can gain the indulgence when we can visit devoutly a cemetery or if not, to pray for the dead, recite the Our Father, the Creed, and a prayer for the intention of the Holy Father. It is also recommended to go for the Sacrament of Reconciliation as one makes this devotion.
Brothers and sisters, today’s celebration of All Souls is more a feast of hope than a day of mourning for the dead. By visiting the graves of our beloved ones or praying for all who have died, we profess and affirm our faith that we are still linked with the dead, that for us they are not gone for ever but that we shall see them again in the home of our Father in heaven.
For them and for us the stone of the tomb will be rolled away, and we will rise from death as once Jesus raised Lazarus and he himself rose from the tomb. Let us celebrate this resurrection faith today by thanking the Lord for life and also by taking up the challenge to live a compassionate life with and for others.
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