Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 2, 2013 - Nov. 2 - The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
[[3 options]; [13 options]; [12 options]]The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.....[Wisdom]
COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED [ALL SOULS DAY]
[Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 6:3-9; John 6:37-40]
Somehow the feast of All Souls became connected with the Catholic belief in purgatory and the feast seemed directed to the "poor souls in purgatory." But the title of the feast should alert us to a broader emphasis - "the Commemoration of ALL the Faithful Departed." Presumably that includes everyone, not just those who somehow were less than "saintly" and may be spending time getting the last bits of their act together! Actually, All Souls Day is a celebration of the resurrection that is promised us, and not on earning parole! This gives the popular practice of decorating the graves of loved ones on All Souls Day its true meaning!
All Souls Day is a way of recognizing that death is a part of life and not the end of it. The passage from the book of Wisdom expresses it well. "They are at peace." The gospel scripture from John today points out that Jesus does not want to lose any of us who believe in him in whatever way. In San Antonio and other Latino locations, the joyfulness of the cemetery observances is truly a comfort. In our Dominican communities, every day, we pray the "De Profundis" psalm [129] and mention all the deceased for a particular date from the American provinces. In short, All Souls Day summons us to memory and solidarity in faith in the resurrection - no matter what level of perfection or imperfection we are in at the moment of death. Life goes on! AMEN