Mary, Catch Us When We Fall!

Pastor’s Column All Souls Day, 2014

In Basil Switzerland there is a very beautiful shrine to Mary we were privileged to visit called the Maria Stein shrine. This devotion isn’t too well known in the United States. There is a whole town named after this place of pilgrimage called Maria Stein, Ohio, which is a sister shrine in our own country you can visit. Not many pilgrims from the US have the grace of visiting this place in Switzerland, so well-known in Europe. Pilgrims have come here since the 14th century, when our story occurred. The incident is a very touching one.

A child was playing near the monastery at this place, high up in the mountains, when the child fell off a cliff and landed about 150 feet straight down on flat rock. According to the story, this child was not injured due to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, she was said to have caught the child!

Again, some years later (in 1540), there was a second incident involving another child where the same thing happened!

We celebrated Mass in the beautiful crypt chapel, where so many others through the centuries have come. Why do people come here to pray? They want the Virgin Mary to help catch them if they have fallen! How many of us sometimes feel we are falling through the cracks, falling apart, falling in our spiritual life or health or financial issues, perhaps falling away from God!

Yet, to fall from God is like falling down a cliff onto solid rock. We need someone who loves us to look after our interests, to pray for us to Jesus and to catch us when we fall. And Mary will do this for us if we ask her to pray for us before her Son and catch us somehow when we need it most. Our Lady of Maria Stein, catch us when we fall. You can see the cliffs in our lives long before we can, from your perspective in heaven. Help us not to get so close to the edge that we are in danger of losing our soul.

We know that you love us, and that you will pray for anyone who asks with faith and present our prayers to your son Jesus. We know that just as you did for children in the past, so, if it is according to God’s will, and we have faith, you also will catch us when we fall.

Father Gary

Sunday -- Changed not Ended -- Eternal Rest Grant to Them, O Lord.

"Everything the Father gives me will come to me."

The Word for All Souls: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/110214.cfm

Can you imagine an existence, as real as this life, yet outside of space and time? Sounds like science fiction? Yet, falling on a Sunday this year we as Christians acknowledge our fundamental belief in this reality, a “place” a spiritual yet very real existence outside of what we have always known and measured since the time of our birth. On this day, and in this entire month of November, we pray for all of our dearly departed brothers and sisters who continue life in that existence which is our ultimate destiny as well. Yet, all the more real as we prepare to enter the glorious presence of God, the holy ones, and our faithful departed who have arrived.

As it always comes the day after the Solemnity of All Saints, it’s good for us to remember that we “pray to” our holy ones, those whose lives have been formally acknowledged by the Church as marked by heroic Christian virtue. They cheer us on, they run the race of life with us for they too once joined us in that race here and through God’s abundant grace have won the prize of eternity. They are our heroes and models of Christian discipleship from every race, language, and culture. The saints are here for us as intercessors and models of Christian living.

But All Souls Day is a very special day to “pray for” our deceased brothers and sisters, our family members who once joined us at meals, at home, in the garden, at sports events, at musical concerts, in school, on vacations. Who shared with us this personal life through laughter and sadness; in food and fun; in marriage and parenting; in ministry and service. Those we called Mom and Dad, brother and sister, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt, Uncle, friend, neighbor, Reverend. In other words, all those who have died before us and shared in some part of our personal lives.

Why do we pray for the dead? That’s a question that many in the non-Catholic Christian world ask. Yet, this ancient Christian tradition that is preserved by our Catholic faith remains a center mark of our spiritual lives.

In speaking of funerals, our Protestant brethren and secular society in general often speak of a celebration of life. So, the tendency is to look back at a life well lived and consider all the various accomplishments and lessons and memories of the loved one who has died. Sometimes that celebration takes on an extravagant personality. Remember Michael Jackson’s celebration of life? Hollywood and recording artists were out in their glory. Yet, there is a deeper meaning.

The Catholic perspective in our funeral liturgies is to look forward to that life yet to come and that “place” outside of space and time in eternity and before God himself where our loved ones we pray will find themselves. We certainly look back at their life and recall all the wonderful memories but the emphasis is now upon Christian hope.

One of the opening prayers for this Sunday’s Mass of commemoration states:

Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord,

and, as our faith in your Son,

raised from the dead, is deepened,

so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants

also find new strength.

It is that great promise of Jesus as that “faith in your Son, raised from the dead is deepened . . .” we have solid hope that “our departed servants,” which one day will include us, may also experience this new life in Christ. Death is not the end for life is changed not ended. In fact, another prayer for the deceased speaks of “those who have fallen asleep” because death is a passage not a brick wall we run in to.

Yet another central reason we pray for the dead: Purgatory. Yes, it’s still on the books and it is still part of our belief. Perhaps we have gone through a kind of evolution of understanding exactly what purgatory means. The church does not see purgatory as a kind of mini- hell but rather a logical outcome of our lives here on earth. Our Catholic Catechism states: “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CC 1030-31).

We believe our prayers have a benefit for the dead for we trust in God’s extended mercy beyond this life which is expressed in that place of purification – that purgatory. We are cleansed, prepared, made perfect in order to enter eternal bliss and the presence of almighty God. It was once explained as a place we go to wash our baptismal garments. We must get ready to enter the presence of the King and prepare ourselves to meet his majesty. Perhaps the suffering of purgatory is to know ones final destination but to not yet be there. The hope is to know that our final home will indeed be Heaven.

Does everyone who dies go to purgatory? That we simply don’t know. It would be hard to imagine that St. Francis of Assisi or Mother Teresa of Calcutta or St. Teresa of Liseux and other great saints like them needed to do so but it remains a mystery of our faith – not one of despair but of gratitude that God’s abundant mercy is still extended beyond this life.

So, let us pray for all of our departed brothers and sisters in the Lord. The Church in heaven (triumphant) is cheering us on. The church suffering (those in purgatory) long for our intercession and prayer. The church here on earth (militant) still engaged in the spiritual and mortal struggle of daily Christian living is filled with hope.

God’s mercy invites us all to share in his banquet which begins in every celebration of the Eucharist.

Insight Scoop

All Souls and Our Mortal End

"All Soul's Day" (1910) by Aladar Korosfoi-Kriesch (WikiArt.org)

On the Readings for Sunday, November 2, 2014 | The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls) | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Wis 3:1-9
• Psa 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
• Rom 6:3-9
• Jn 6:37-40

“I’ve always had a hard time explaining purgatory,” the man said. “Didn’t the Second Vatican Council say that Catholics no longer have to believe in purgatory?”

That remark was made to me years ago, not long after I had entered the Catholic Church. Although I was saddened to hear it, it didn’t surprise me. In the course of studying various Catholic doctrines, I had learned that certain beliefs, including purgatory, were often avoided or even ignored by some Catholics. And this, unfortunately, meant that many Catholics don’t appreciate the Feast of All Souls, which is all about praying for those who are in purgatory.

“I think purgatory is rather simple to understand,” I responded. “The problem is that we often have to do away with our flawed notions of purgatory.”

Growing up in a .............. home, I had been told purgatory was the belief that everyone gets a “second chance” after death. Purgatory, I had also been taught, was just another Catholic invention without any basis in Scripture.

What I learned years later was quite different. I saw that the early Christians prayed for the dead, and that this practice was based, in part, on the actions of those Jews who had prayed for the dead (cf., 2 Macc. 12:41-46). As today’s reading from the Book of Wisdom indicates, the idea of spiritual cleansing was a common one in the Old Testament: “For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.”

It followed logically that if there was life after death for the just, those who were just would be cleansed fully and completely, if necessary, before entering the presence of God. This, of course, also flowed from the deepened understanding of death and resurrection given through the life, death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Savior had promised, in today’s Gospel, “that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

But the early Christians recognized that not every disciple of Jesus is perfectly cleansed in this life from venial sins. St. Augustine explained that the Church’s prayers, the Mass, and the giving of alms provided spiritual aid to the dead. “The whole Church,” he wrote, “observes this practice which was handed down by the Fathers: that it prays for those who have died in the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, when they are commemorated in their own place in the sacrifice itself; and the sacrifice is offered also in memory of them, on their behalf.”

It is ironic that the culture of death, which is present in so many ways, is so afraid to face death squarely and honestly. It tries to cheat and avoid death, both mocking it and cowering before it in movies, books, video games, and music. We fear death because it is so mysterious and hidden. We fear it because it seems so unjust that the vibrancy of life can end so suddenly and completely. If this world is all that exists, then death is to be feared. But it also will not be denied.

St. Paul, on the other hand, embraced death—that is, the death of Jesus Christ. “We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,” he wrote to the Christians in Rome, “so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”

The Feast of All Souls not only provides us an opportunity to pray for those who have gone before us, but also reminds us of our mortal end. We cannot deny it. But by God’s grace we can and should prepare for it, trusting that the Lord our Shepherd will guide us through the valley of darkness.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the November 2, 2008, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

I Hold the Keys to the Gates of Purgatory

U. S. A. | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

November 2, 2014. The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)

John 11:17-27

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in you with a faith that never seeks to test you. I trust in you, hoping to learn to accept and follow your will, even when it does not make sense to the way that I see things. I love you, and I want to love you and those around me with a love similar to the love you have shown to me.

Petition: Lord, help me to take seriously the gravity of purgatory and the plight of those who end up there.

1. Even God Weeps for those who Have Died: Today we remember our loved ones who have passed away, just as Mary and Martha remember their brother Lazarus in this passage from the Gospel. It is a good and holy thing to be sad when a loved one dies. Some think that it is a lack of faith to be sad when someone dies, but in the passage, Jesus does not rebuke Mary and Martha for being sad, but tries to console them. Later, when he comes to the tomb himself, Jesus weeps for Lazarus (John 11:35). What a terrible thing death must be for Jesus to weep for Lazarus even though he knows that in a few moments he will raise Lazarus from the dead. Clearly, we don’t appreciate the true tragedy of death, that God himself would weep for a friend who is dead while knowing he has power over death.

2. You Don’t Want to Go There: We are quick to put people in heaven, probably a little too quick. We are not doing them a favor. Many of us, even the best of us, will not go straight to heaven, but will have to spend some time in purgatory, to be cleansed of our attachments and desires toward sinfulness as well as for any sins for which we have not done sufficient penance. We tend to underestimate purgatory as well, maybe because people there are assured of getting into heaven. While it is true that people in purgatory probably experience a joy beyond anything we will experience in this life, they also experience more intense suffering than anything we have experienced in this life. The suffering of purgatory is similar to the suffering of hell, and we know we don’t want to experience that. Purgatory is nothing I want my loved ones to experience, if I can help it, nor do I want to go there myself, if I can help it. The great thing is that I can indeed help it.

3. Only the Living Hold the Keys to Purgatory: What am I willing to do to avoid purgatory? Up until now, have I even thought of it as something to be avoided? Do I realize that all the sacrifices I can make in this life to avoid purgatory do not add up to what it will be like to suffer in purgatory? Do I ever remember that my loved ones may be there now? Perhaps while they were in this life, they suffered greatly and I was relieved by their deaths because now their “suffering was over.” Am I an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of person? Do I think there is nothing more I can do for them? Or am I genuinely concerned about the likelihood that they may be in purgatory? Do I realize that my prayers and sacrifices represent the key to release them and that I can use it if I want to? Do I care about using it? On this day when we remember the souls in purgatory, it would be good to do something for those who are there, especially for the ones I love the most.

Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to remember those I love and offer up sacrifices, prayers and masses for them frequently, so they may be with you as soon as possible. Help me to make the choices I need to make in this life so I can avoid purgatory as much as possible.

Resolution: Today I will make a sacrifice for my loved ones in purgatory, remembering that for God, the size of the sacrifice does not count as much as the love with which it is made.

By Father James Swanson, LC

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY MT 22:34-40

The Face of Christ

Fr. Jerry Pokorsky

What did Jesus look like? There are no photographs or paintings of Christ. There are no sculpted images. He posed for no fresco artisan. The image on the Shroud of Turin may seem persuasively real, but there is no absolute assurance of its authenticity. It remains a kind of “divine tease.” We only can surmise the reason that the Lord prevented an absolutely reliable image of Himself. But is it even possible — or praiseworthy — to hope to somehow see the face of Christ?

Even before the age of modern photography, there were many trustworthy images of great men. There are sculpted images of Julius Caesar and masterpiece paintings of popes and kings. Today, every dollar bill carries the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington. And today, the depictions of prominent personages by the great artists are ever more accessible in books and the Internet.

It is perhaps instructive, as an intellectual exercise, to reconstruct a famous image — without the help of Internet pixels — by using memory alone. What does the Mona Lisa look like? We might be able to reproduce the image imperfectly by memory. The details are probably sketchy; the hair, the eyes, the colors form but a blur in our mental reconstruction. Perhaps Mona Lisa’s smile is easily remembered, if difficult to describe. Is it a pensive smile? Is it a knowing smile? Is it a smile at all? Regardless of how we describe the details of the image, the painting remains unchanged. The painting itself does not depend upon our subjective definitions. But, for purposes of this reconstructive mental exercise, our conceptual definitions are all we have.

Understanding the Catholic faith is something like that. The “deposit of faith” handed down after the death of the last apostle is objective or, as the cliche goes, “It is what it is.” But in every age, the deposit must, in a sense, be “reconstructed” for viewing, often using time-hallowed dogmatic words such as “transubstantiation.” This is the role of Catholic doctrine or dogma. If we take the time to understand the role of doctrine is to portray — using conceptual statements — the “image” of the deposit of faith received by the apostles, we can better appreciate the value and beauty of church teaching. Just as densely packed computer pixels provide a clearer photo image without daring to distort the image in any way, highly refined church teachings provide an ever more precise image of the true and unchanging faith. This is why Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor refers to church dogmas fondly as “windows to the infinite.”

Interestingly, after the Catechism of the Catholic Church was published by the Vatican in 1985, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger described how the catechism provides a “depiction” of Christ Himself. In this, we leap beyond imaging the deposit of faith, to imaging the very person of Christ. Of course, we may think of biographical works as providing similar images, whereas the catechism is not strictly a biographical work. The catechism not only provides the historical and dogmatic statements about Christ, but also teaches us how to behave and live. The moral section is a key part in reconstructing an authentic image of Christ.

In the Gospel, Christ reveals (and confirms Old Testament teaching) that loving God and neighbor are foundational to the law. God’s law and His love are inseparable. Psalm 119 is a veritable hymn on the joy of knowing and living God’s law: “Oh, how I love your law. I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.”

Later in the Gospel, Christ tells His disciples that if they really love Him, they will keep His commandments (cf. Jn 14:15). This is crucial. Attention to and living God’s law is not at all a question of “mindless legalism” or burdensome restrictions on human freedom. Quite the opposite. God’s law liberates us to live in His love and, in a truly mystical and astounding way, provides a means to see the very face of Christ. Again, Psalm 119 provides us with an Old Testament clue: “You are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words. I have sought your face with all my heart.”

There is something firm and reliable — even non-negotiable — in seeking the face of Christ through His law and love. Over time, and with study and prayer, it becomes clear His face is completely incompatible with evil or with idolatry, impiety, murder, adultery, thievery, dishonesty or any kind of impurity. These can only disfigure and crucify a tenderly loving and beautiful face.

But in choosing God’s law, we ourselves become good. And if we grow in God’s goodness, we become more of what God destined us to be — not only living His law in love, but also reflecting His divinity. In every good act we see the hand of a loving God. And in every truly virtuous person we see a hint of the unblemished face of Christ.

Fr. Pokorsky is pastor of St. Michael Church in Annandale.

The Calamity of Death and the Trial of Life

Dr. Mark Giszczak

shutterstock_116046322

November 2, 2014
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/110214.cfm

Death is a calamity. Or at least that is usually how we think of it. In fact, it is hard for us to imagine a worse fate than death, a more terrible punishment than execution. What really sends us reeling is when an innocent person, a good person, dies unfairly, unexpectedly, before their time, or even at the hands of evil people. If a righteous person is killed by bad people, our hearts sink at the tragedy of it. Yet, this Sunday’s reading from Wisdom challenges our reaction. Perhaps we are the ones looking at the calamity of death upside down.

Context

This reading comes from Wisdom 3, right after a discussion in chap. 2 of how the righteous poor man is persecuted by the wicked. It would be tempting to think that the suffering of the righteous is meaningless and their death a disaster. Our passage responds to that temptation. The foolish thought that the righteous were dead (3:2) and that their going away was a kakosis, a misfortune, an evil fate. The author of Wisdom contradicts such a view and will set about explaining how the fate of the righteous is actually “in peace.” After this section, he’ll go on to explain the plight of the barren yet righteous woman and those who die before their time.

In the Hand of God

We spend so much of our lives working to accumulate worldly goods that make us feel secure, comfortable, stable, safe. Despite the importance of things like houses, cars, jobs, nest eggs, they have a limit: the grave. None of those things are able to come with us beyond the door of death. If a person dies in bad circumstances, poor, misunderstood, downtrodden, and yet righteous, then he may very well find himself “in the hand of God.” The fate of the martyrs is just such a contradiction—to die a seemingly shameful death, only to receive a glorious crown in heaven. Lazarus, the poor man whom Jesus talks about in Luke 16, is covered in sores and dies as a poor beggar and isn’t even buried, yet he is “carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). What seems to earthly eyes as a terrible fate, the Lord turns on its head. While in the “hand of God,” no basanos (torture, torment, disease) can come upon him. The restlessness, difficulty and sorrow of human life gives way to permanent peace.

The Trial of Earthly Life

If the heaven which awaits the righteous is free from torture, that does not mean that their earthly life is. In fact, Wisdom emphasizes that earthly life includes punishment, discipline, and trial. The tests and trials of this life, in Wisdom’s interpretation, are not random acts of annoying badness, but God’s way of bringing good out of evil by using objectively evil occurrences to serve for our sanctification. An untimely death of a relative, an accident, an illness, a false accusation, which in itself might be wrong or tormenting, can serve to refine us like gold, to prove our virtue, to actually make us holy. Of course, the value of such circumstances depends on our response—we could allow ourselves to become resentful rather than humble when we suffer or are treated unfairly. Wisdom not only cites the common biblical metaphor of refining gold (Zech 13:9; Mal 3:3; Prov 17:3), but says that the righteous are like “burnt offerings.” Yikes! Burnt offerings were animals put on God’s altar and completely burnt with fire. The trial of the righteous is not exactly child’s play.

The Day of Visitation

The righteous will come back to “shine” on their “day of visitation.” Jesus refers to the “time of visitation” (Luke 19:44) and St. Peter also looks forward to the “day of visitation” (1 Pet 2:12). This day is the day of judgment, the moment when the righteous are finally vindicated, the time when God hands down judgment and mercy, separating the sheep and the goats. The vindication of the righteous includes not just restoration, but elevation. That is, they will not just receive peace, but will “govern nations and rule over peoples” (Wis 3:8 RSV). Jesus teaches that his apostles will “sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt 19:28). St. Paul says that the “saints will judge the world” (1 Cor 6:2). Now this does not mean that God will set up a series of mini-trials where each saint will hold court and judge a certain number of souls. Rather, the saints will join in the judgment of God by way of participation. When God separates the sheep and goats, the saints will nod their heads in agreement and even rejoice over the just judgment of God. In this way, the saints participate in the kingly authority of God, who reigns over them in his eternal kingdom of heaven.

Knowledge and Love

The conclusion of our first reading points to the ultimate destination of the saints. They will be united with God, enjoy his presence and come to “understand truth” and to “remain in love.” In the end, the mind and the heart will come together, knowledge and love will be united. Too often in our lives, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor 8:1). But in heaven, knowledge will not interfere with love, because all intellectual pride will be banished, vain curiosity will fade away, and the saints’ knowledge of who God is and their love for him will unite. As St. Paul says, “at present I know partially; then I shall know fully as I am fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). Only by God’s grace and mercy can we come to possess a full knowledge of him and be open to receive all of the love he offers to us.

When we witness innocent suffering or experience unfairness, our hearts should not fail to look beyond the dark veil of death which separates us from our eternal home. Rather, we have to remind ourselves that death is not the final chapter, but only a transition. True judgment, final vindication, lie on the other side of death. Those that seem to be dead may just be more alive than we ourselves are and death itself might not be so calamitous after all.

Scripture Speaks: Feast of All Souls

Gayle Somers

shutterstock_160589732

On this day, we remember all those who have died in God’s friendship. What does it mean to be a friend of God?

Gospel (Read Jn 6:37-40)

Today, Jesus gives us a glimpse into God the Father’s master plan for His creation. We know from the first chapter of Genesis that God wanted man’s friendship—why else would He create him in His own image and likeness (see Gn 1:26)? The first part of man’s story reveals what happens when men reject the friendship God offers them, both inside Eden and outside (in the nation He created for Himself, Israel). Then Jesus appears within our story and teaches us that God never intended to lose us, even though our own foolishness gave Him every justification for that. No, God had a plan to recover and restore all that was lost. Jesus, God’s Son in the flesh, “came down from heaven not to do My own will but the will of the One who sent Me.” God’s will is that “everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life.”

When Jesus speaks this way, we can see how bountiful and generous God’s plan is. Jesus says He will “not reject anyone” who comes to Him. This reminds us that God actually wants us with Him. He is not trying to restrict heaven by weeding most of us out. His plan, from the beginning, has been to prove His great love for us by sending Jesus. As St. Paul writes, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 4:8).

All those who “see” and “believe” the Son have the gift of eternal life. That was the whole point of Jesus’ mission. We might wonder about all those who, as far as we can tell, don’t “see” and “believe” in Him before they die. What about those who, through foolishness, stubbornness, or lack of knowledge (having never even heard of the Gospel) go to their deaths without any visible sign of faith? Is there any hope for them? We might be thinking of them among our family members and friends on this day.

Here is something to ponder: Is not the Church constantly praying for those in most need of God’s mercy? Is not our work to call down God’s favor on all those who don’t deserve it, because we ourselves know we don’t deserve it, either? If we know, from words such as Jesus speaks in our Gospel reading, that God has gone to great lengths to save the lost, can we not expect that in some way known only to Him right now, He is answering our prayers for those who most need to know Him? Does not the Feast of All Souls give us hope that leaving this life in God’s friendship, however that happens, is what He intended for every human soul He ever created?

Possible response: Jesus, thank You for making the hope of eternal life possible for all souls who have lived or ever will, including mine and those for whom I pray.

First Reading (Read Wis 3:1-9)

This reading from the Old Testament helps us see something of the mystery of death, as well as life both before and after it occurs. To the foolish, death seems like “an affliction” and “utter destruction.” Indeed, it often seems like that to us! But for “the just,” those who sought to live as God wants us to live, quite the opposite is true. Even the hardships they experienced in life, which might have looked like punishments, in fact were simply God’s way of refining and purifying them, “as gold in a furnace.” His work in their lives made them “worthy of Himself.” Their purification, entirely at God’s initiative, gave them a bright future, full of light (“they shall shine”), wisdom (“they shall judge nations”), knowledge (“those who trust Him shall understand”), and love (“the faithful shall abide with Him in love”). So, if the just, after departure from this life, were asked about those trials and difficulties sent from God, do we think they would complain or warn others about them? Or, do we expect they would say those sufferings were a blessing, because they prepared them to live eternally in the “grace and mercy” of God?

Possible response: Heavenly Father, forgive me when I miss an opportunity to be refined like gold in the trials that come my way. Give me eyes to see You in them.

Psalm (Read Ps 23:1-6)

This psalm, so familiar to many of us, never fails to communicate the peace and hope that pervades the life of a soul lived in friendship with God. It describes His refreshment and bounty even in the most difficult times in life, times when we “walk in the dark valley,” or live in the sight of our “foes.” For God’s friend, there is no fear of evil; instead, there is every hope of God’s “goodness and kindness” through all the days of our lives and beyond into eternity. On a day like today when we are thinking about life as God’s friend and all the joy it holds, we will want to sing: “The Lord in my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read Rom 5:5-11)

St. Paul takes up the great truth upon which all our hope for ourselves and for the sinful world for which we constantly pray rests: “But God proves His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we are now justified by His Blood, will we be saved through Him from the wrath.” God’s plan is to save us from eternal death (a just punishment on our sin) and to sanctify us, to make us pure and holy as He is. St. Paul says this simply makes sense: “If while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by His life.” Once we become God’s friends through faith, we can count on His love to do the work He began in us through that faith, restoring us to His “image and likeness” lost through sin. That work of restoration begins in this life. Every hour of every day gives us an opportunity to let God do His work of purification in us. When the hour of our death arrives, God alone knows if more work is necessary to make us fit to live in His presence forever. If so, He will do it. The purgation of Purgatory is His glorious, loving work of complete liberation of our souls from every trace of sin. Anyone who leaves this life in His friendship longs for this, especially those whose friendship with God came at the very end of a life not lived for Him. They, more than any, will, when the work is complete, “boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Possible response: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us too much to leave us in our imperfections. The death of Christ saves us; the life of Christ renews us. Such hope!

One Bread, One Body

Language: English | Español

All Issues > Volume 30, Issue 6

<< Sunday, November 2, 2014 >>

All Souls

Wisdom 3:1-9
1 Corinthians 15:51-57
View Readings

Psalm 23:1-6
John 6:37-40
Similar Reflections

PRAYER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF DEATH

"Those who trust in Him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with Him in love." —Wisdom 3:9

Today the Church calls us to pray for the dead, since we believe death does not necessarily mean immediate entry into heaven or hell. The Bible indicates this when Paul mentions the Corinthian practice of baptizing the dead by proxy (1 Cor 15:29). Also, Judas' providing sacrifices for the dead is considered "excellent and noble" (2 Mc 12:43). In addition to these Scriptural references, the Holy Spirit has taught believers over the centuries to pray for the dead and has confirmed this practice by repeated prophecies.

Even so, most people are confused or at least doubtful about praying for the dead, and therefore we pray only sporadically for the dead, if at all. The Lord would have us be "clear about those who sleep in death" (1 Thes 4:13). He does not want us to yield to grief or apathy but wants us to be clear about praying for the dead and to pray with commitment. "Do not continue in ignorance, but try to discern the will of the Lord" (Eph 5:17).

Read the Scriptures we have just mentioned, since faith comes through hearing the Word of Christ (Rm 10:17). Ask the Spirit to teach you everything and guide you to all truth (Jn 14:26; 16:13). Don't spend your time in an interior doctrinal debate but listen to Him. "God is a God, not of confusion, but of peace" (1 Cor 14:33). Let the Lord speak to you and show you new things in His Word. He will show us how to pray. "The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us" (Rm 8:26).

Prayer: Jesus, by Your resurrection-victory over death and by the power of the Holy Spirit, may a dead relative of mine be sanctified completely and enter Your kingdom.

Promise: "No one who comes will I ever reject." —Jn 6:37

Praise: Praise Jesus, "the Shepherd, the Guardian" of our souls! (1 Pt 2:25) Praise Jesus, "the Resurrection and the Life!" (Jn 11:25)

Let God's will be done!

Allow all babies in the womb to live!

The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
Commemoration
November 2nd

Aladar Korosfoi-Kriesch
All Souls' Day --1910 Oil on canvas, 51,5 x 72,5 cm
Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest
(It is a Hungarian tradition to go to cemeteries to honor the dead)

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today, the day after the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church invites us to pray for the faithful departed. This yearly commemoration, often marked by visits to the cemetery, is an occasion to ponder the mystery of death and to renew our faith in the promise of eternal life held out to us by Christ’s resurrection. As human beings, we have a natural fear of death and we rebel against its apparent finality. Faith teaches us that the fear of death is lightened by a great hope, the hope of eternity, which gives our lives their fullest meaning. The God who is love offers us the promise of eternal life through the death and resurrection of his Son. In Christ, death no longer appears as an abyss of emptiness, but rather a path to life which will never end. Christ is the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in him will never die. Each Sunday, in reciting the Creed, we reaffirm our faith in this mystery. As we remember our dear departed ones, united with them in the communion of the saints, may our faith inspire us to follow Christ more closely and to work in this world to build a future of hope. -- Pope Benedict XVI, November 2, 2011

Readings | Why we pray for the dead | Family Activities

All Souls - Prayers for the dead

From the beginning, Christians have prayed for the dead and have undertaken works of penance on their behalf. There is scriptural basis for this intercessory prayer for the sins of others and for the dead in the Old Testament. Job's sacrifices purified his sons (Job 1:5); and Judas Maccabeus "made atonement for the dead that they be delivered from their sin" (II Macc 12:46).

The tradition in the Church of having Masses said for the dead began in the earliest times. The pre-Christian Roman religion, which held that some form of life continued after death, gave votive offerings to the gods for the dead at three specified times: the third, seventh and thirtieth day after death. This practice of praying for the departed on these same days was adopted ("inculturated") by the early Christians -- and continued in the Church for nearly 2000 years: the Church offered Masses for the deceased person on the third, seventh and thirtieth day after death.

Beginning in the year 998, All souls -- the "faithful departed" -- were officially remembered in the Church's prayers on the evening of November 1, and with Requiem Masses, Masses for the dead, on November 2. All Souls Day is now a feast of the universal Church. (The word "requiem" is Latin for "rest".) Following the Second Vatican Council, all Masses celebrated on All Saints day observe that feast, not "All souls". Three Masses may still be said on All Souls Day. The first two are Masses for Burial, and the third is a Mass for the Dead. Black vestments may be worn on this day.

We pray for the faithful departed, those who have been baptized, but who need to be completely purified of all stain of sin before they come into full union with God in Heaven. In other words, most of us. The Church's teaching about Purgatory, the place of purification, is explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (§1030-1032):

"All who die in god's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven.

"The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire:

"As for certain lesser faults, we must believe that, before the Final Judgment, there is a purifying fire. He who is truth says that whoever utters blasphemy against the Holy spirit will be pardoned neither in this age nor in the age to come. From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, but certain others in the age to come.

"This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: 'Therefore [Judas Maccabeus' made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.' 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. The Church also commends almogiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead:

"Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons were purified by their father's sacrifice, why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them." [Saint John Chrysostom - 4th century]

Collect:
Listen kindly to our prayers, O Lord,
and, as our faith in your Son,
raised from the dead, is deepened,
so may our hope of resurrection for your departed servants
also find new strength.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

or

O God, glory of the faithful and life of the just,
by the Death and Resurrection of whose Son
we have been redeemed,
look mercifully on your departed servants,
that, just as they professed the mystery of our resurrection,
so they may merit to receive they joys of eternal happiness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

or

O God, who willed that your Only Begotten Son,
having conquered death,
should pass over into the realm of heaven,
grant, we pray, to your departed servants
that, with the mortality of this life overcome,
they may gaze eternally on you,
their Creator and Redeemer.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9
But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, and their going from us to be their destruction: but they are at peace. For though in the sight of men they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself; like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them. In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will run like sparks through the stubble. They will govern nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. Those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

Second Reading: Romans 5:5-11
Hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

or Romans 6:3-9
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.

Gospel Reading:
All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

Why We Pray for the Dead

We say prayers, not only for those whom we knew and loved, but also for the "poor souls". Explain to your children about praying for the "poor souls" who may have no one else -- no families, no children or grand-children -- to pray for them. This is an act of charity that we can perform for them.

Be sure to mention that that respect for the dead is part of respect for all human life which comes from God. Our heavenly Father gave us life, and we are all infinitely precious to Him, and he wants us all to be with him in heaven forever. We can see, then, how a denial of death, or a refusal to accept pain, sorrow, and suffering as part of life, is really a denial of the value of life and love.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church secton on Purgatory (1030-1032) explains that "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven" (1030).

The Catechism states that "From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice... The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead" (1032).

The feast of All Souls is a reminder to pray for the "faithful departed". Although they are members of the Communion of Saints, have been saved and will one day be in heaven, they need to be perfected before they can go to Heaven, that is, to come into full unity with the perfection that is God.

We hope your school-age children have an opportunity to attend Mass on All Souls day. (If this is already not on your parish school's schedule, do suggest that it be added!)

Family activities:

One of the best ways to teach children how we respect the dead is to visit a cemetery. You might be surprised that this can be a very pleasant family outing during the fall, when all creation seems to be preparing to end the active life of this season on earth, in order to prepare for life in the next.
Ideally, you could visit the graves of your own family members. This would be a good time to tell children family stories about their great-grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins -- to remember their lives, and especially how their Christian witness has influenced your own life, and your children's, as well.
Many cathedrals in Europe have people buried in them, bishops, saints, ordinary faithful. Even some American cathedrals have the tombs of bishops inside. (The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is one of them) If you live near a cathedral -- especially if it contains tombs -- this would be a good day to make a little pilgrimage.
Instead of the ordinary bed-time routine, dig out some family albums and look at them with your children. This usually inspires some good family stories you might forget to tell them otherwise.
Don't forget to add prayers for deceased relatives in the regular bed-time prayers. And then together say a prayer for them, like:

Heavenly Father, You sent Christ Jesus your Son to wash away the sins of all mankind through His perfect sacrifice,
and you cleansed our departed brothers and sisters in the waters of baptism.

May His perfect sacrifice free them from the power of death and give them eternal life.
In your mercy, O Lord, grant them eternal rest,
and may perpetual light shine on them forever. + Amen.

***

Eternal Rest

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

Requiem Æternam

Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine,
et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Requiéscant in pace. Amen.

All Souls, Purgatory and the Bible

Letter #95: Remembering the Dead
Hungry Souls (a bit of a [Book] review) Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
What Is All Souls Day (Commemoration of the Faithful Departed)?
All Saints or All Souls? Differences should be black and white
All Souls' Day [Catholic Caucus]
Why I Am Catholic: For Purgatory, Thank Heavens (Ecumenical)
Q and A: Why Pray for the Dead? [Ecumenical]
“….and Death is Gain” – A Meditation on the Christian View of Death [Catholic Caucus]
99 & 1/2 Won’t Do – A Meditation on Purgatory
The Month of November: Thoughts on the "Last Things"
To Trace All Souls Day

November 2 -- All Souls Day
On November: All Souls and the "Permanent Things"
"From the Pastor" ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS
Praying for the Dead [All Souls Day] (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
To Trace All Souls Day [Ecumenical]
All Souls Day [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
The Roots of All Souls Day
The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
During Month of Souls, Recall Mystic, St. Gertrude the Great
All Saints and All Souls

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2014-11-02-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily