Word to the Wise
Saturday, November 2, 2024 - Nov. 2 - The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
[[3 options]; [13 options]; [12 options],739]"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. 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." [John]
NOVEMBER 2, ALL SOULS DAY
[Wisdom 3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11 or Romans 6:3-9; John 6:37-40. Other scriptures are also possible from place to place.]
All Souls Day is a day for celebrating the lives of those who have impacted our lives and are now in the hands of God. Prior to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, the celebration was quite somber like the funeral celebrations of that time - black vestments and the Dies Irae, with its fearful lyrics in Latin. Now, white vestments are worn and the celebration takes on a more hopeful tone. One custom that has continued is a visit to the cemetery and decorating the graves. This was especially noticeable, for me, when I lived and ministered in San Antonio. The cemeteries would be filled with people who spent the day with flowers and picnic lunches at the tomb of a deceased loved one.
The Catholic theological tradition of purgatory, a "place" of suffering for those who die in a less than perfect but not fatal state of grace, has received development. The emphasis is far more hopeful and positive now and seen as "temporary" improvement before full union with the Beatific Vision. We have St. John Paul II to thank for that more positive emphasis: “Even if the soul in that passage towards heaven had to undergo purification for the remains of sin in purgatory, it is full of light, of certitude, of joy, because it is sure that it belongs to God forever”.
Our prayers are important in this. I think of it in terms ofthe way I am impacted by the love and prayers and support I receive from friends in my life now. These help me to be abetter person. I am confident that the same prayers and love willcontinue in memory on All Souls Day! AMEN