Posted on 11/01/2025 8:24:04 PM PDT by fidelis
By Dr. John Bergsma
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, or more popularly, All Souls Day, is entirely unique in the Church's liturgical calendar. Although it is a very significant liturgical observance that attracts substantial Mass attendance (in regions where piety is healthy) on par with solemnities and other major feasts, it is neither a solemnity nor even a feast, and the spirit of the day has a unique mix of penitence, consolation, and intercession.
The challenge for the homilist on All Souls is to offer consolation to those who grieve for lost loved ones without implying the canonization of every member of the congregation who has died, and to make a serious call for intercession for the deceased and personal repentance for the living, without provoking despair over the possibility of salvation for either. It is no easy task to balance the themes of hope and consolation with those of repentance and judgment! Perhaps this is one reason that the Lectionary offers the most diverse set of options for readings for this day out of the whole Calendar. In fact, we cannot comment on such a diverse range of options. Instead, in what follows, we will offer a reflection on a typical set of readings suggested by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and then provide tables which offer an overview of the reading options and their different characters and emphases.
First Reading | Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-9 (Alternate reading: Wisdom 4:7-15)
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.
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.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.
One of the important themes of the Wisdom of Solomon is that "wisdom leads to a kingdom." In other words, gaining divine wisdom suits a person to become a ruler. That is a truth that was certainly demonstrated in the biblical story of Solomon, who prayed for wisdom as a youth and was granted the rulership of the greatest kingdom of his day. In a supernatural sense, though, the gaining of divine wisdom suits a person to enter the kingdom of God, and so possess eternal life. We can see how the theology of the Wisdom of Solomon—which is a late Old Testament book, probably composed in the Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 200s BC—is moving, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, toward a clearer picture of the Last Things than we observe in other parts of the Old Testament.
The Jews living in the diaspora (the Jewish communities scattered throughout the known world) in the centuries just before Christ already experienced persecution for their faith. The Greek-speaking pagans would mock Jewish religious devotion because it did not always result in any external, material success in the world. The sacred author asserts that one cannot judge by appearances. There is an unseen, spiritual reality: the souls of the just who have died in body have gone to dwell with God, and they will return and reign with him one day. Jews in the diaspora may not have had the means to offer sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem, but their right-cous martyrs sufficed as "sacrificial offerings" that God "[took] to himself." Getting this supernatural, long-term perspective of the fate of human beings is essential for making wise moral and even political decisions in the present moment. "Those who trust in him shall understand truth." In other words, those who trust that God cares for the souls of the righteous and rewards them in time really come to understand the truth of things and therefore make wise life choices.
Responsorial Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness [lit. hesed] follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come [lit. "for length of days," i.e., "indefinitely" or "forever"].
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
This most-beloved psalm is particularly appropriate for this commemoration in which we reach out to God for comfort and courage in the face of earthly death. The key line of the psalm, in the context of All Souls Day, is verse 4, literally: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [RSV2CE], I fear no evil, for you are with me." The Hebrew is b'gê tzal-maweth; b'is "in," "valley" (of. "Gehenna," or "valley of Hinnom"), and tzal-maweth is an uncommon compound word consisting of tzal, "shadow" and maweth (often moth), "death." One can see that "valley of darkness" is a bit of an anemic rendering of this evocative phrase, and omits the reference to death, which is key to the theme of All Souls Day.
Most scholars do not think that the psalms reflect a hope in a life to come, despite features of this psalm and others that seem to apply it. An exception was Mitchell Dahood, the famous expert on ancient Canaanite language who taught at the Biblicum in Rome and wrote a massive, if eccentric, commentary on the psalms in the famous Anchor Bible series. I agree with Dahood on this point: I think David and the other psalm writers did believe in a life today come, and the reference to perseverance through death and life forever in God's temple in Psalm 23 points in that direction.
Regardless, that is how we read the psalm in light of Christ. In light of John 10, the Good Shepherd discourse, we recognize Jesus as the Shepherd, and we also recognize sacramental images: the "restful waters" of Baptism, the "verdant pastures" and "table [spread before me" of the Eucharist, the "head [anointed] with oil" of Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick. The psalm is an allegory of the Christian life: Jesus our Shepherd guides us by means of the sacraments to eternal life in God's temple.
Second Reading | Romans 6:3-9 (Alternate Second Reading Romans 5:5-11)
Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.
This passage of St. Paul contains one of the most important catechesis on Baptism in Scripture. Romans is most often remembered for its treatment of faith, works, and justification, but its teachings on the Sacrament of Baptism are forgotten. People tend to think of Baptism as a ritual washing away of sin or a new birth—and it is that—but here Paul emphasizes Baptism as a real and not merely symbolic participation in Christ's death, burial, and Resurrection. Baptism both puts to death our old self-our old, sinful nature- and also raises us up as a new self, destined to live a new life in Christ.
But our baptism needs to be put into practice on a daily basis. Each day we must live the truth of our baptism: "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23; emphasis added). Baptism does not just forgive sins previously committed: it bestows the Holy Spirit, changes our nature, and makes it possible not to sin, to be free from bondage to sin. It's this freedom from slavery to sin" that most of us do not take seriously. The sacrament is mistakenly thought of as a one-time purification rather than a transformation of who we are.
Gospel | John 6:37-40
Jesus said to the crowds: "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."
This is part of Our Lord's Bread of Life discourse, which takes place in Capernaum on the day after he multiplied the loaves and the fish. There is a tie-in with the miracle because the emphasis here on not losing anything that the Father has given is symbolically tied to Jesus's insistence that the disciples "gather the fragments [lit. "the breakings"] left over, so that nothing will be wasted" (John 6:12).
This Gospel offers the comfort and consolation that both we and our loved ones are of personal concern to Jesus: "I will not reject anyone who comes to me" and "I should not lose anything of what he gave me." Jesus never abandons anyone or refuses anyone.
If someone is lost, it is not that Jesus turned them away, but that they turned away from Jesus. Those who want eternal life can have it. Those who want both eternal life and the pleasures of sin are terribly contused because they don't realize that sin is a choice of death, and you can't want both life and death at the same time.
Unlike most Eastern religions, Jesus teaches that God is personal and has personal concern for every individual. Jesus describes the path of salvation in this language:
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life.
"Seeing" is a very important theme in the Gospel of John, and it points to more than just a physical observation, but also an intentional gaze involving a recognition of the person and the desire for a relationship. This is the deeper sense of "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). "Seeing" is being used in the same sense that gazing or looking is described in the Song of Songs: as a sign and expression of love and communion.
"Believes" is the Greek word pisteu from the noun pistis, "faith" or "trust." The English word "believe" is really inadequate: I would prefer "places his faith in" or "trusts in." So "seeing" is not "believing"! They are different moments in the relationship with Jesus. "Seeing" is recognition and desire for communion; "believing" is the act of trust—I would even say entrustment, that to trust Jesus means to entrust oneself to Jesus.
This is the path to eternal life. And it comes back to the Eucharist. In the Eucharist host we "see" Jesus: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Then we "believe" him: "The Body of Christ!" "Amen (I believe it is so; I trust that it is so)." Participating in the Eucharist is a "seeing" and "believing" in Jesus that leads to eternal life. It is a symbolic act that represents an entire lifestyle of being-in-relationship with Christ but also actualizes that relationship in the present moment. Worthy participation in the Eucharist gives us great hope in attaining eternal life for ourselves and our loved ones.
Please keep in mind that this is a Catholic Caucus/Devotional thread for the purpose of prayerful reflection on the Sacred Scriptures and is closed to debate of any kind. Per FR policy on Religion Caucus threads, off-topic, argumentative, and abusive comments are not allowed and will be submitted to the Mods for deletion. Thanks, and God bless you and have a holy Lord’s Day.
Pinging the weekly Sacred Page list!
This is AI, so anyways, my understanding.
All Hallows’ Eve (October 31) is the evening before All Saints’ Day (November 1), a Christian holy day celebrating all saints. The three-day period from October 31 to November 2—known as Allhallowtide or Hallowmas—also includes All Souls’ Day (November 2), when prayers are offered for the departed. The names “Halloween” and “All Saints’ Day” share common roots, both evolving from the medieval term “All Hallows’ Day”.
That sounds about right. This year is unusual in that All Souls Days falls on a Sunday this year, supplanting the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. As a result, today, All Saints Day, was not a Holy Day of Obligation as it usually is in some dioceses since it fell on the day before a Sunday. Next week, something similar will happen as the Feast of St. John Lateran will supplant the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. And next year (2026), All Saints Day will be on a Sunday supplanting whatever that Sunday was supposed to be.
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