Homily: November 2, 2022, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

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Today’s first reading begins with these assuring words, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them”.  

Yesterday we celebrated All Saint’s Day, it was to celebrate the victory of all who make it to heaven. Today’s feast, we commemorate all those souls who have departed but have not reached heaven and are in purgatory.

Scripture and wisdom of the church teach that for those who are not well prepared before they died will go through a time of purification of the soul, to be purified of their sins before they can enter Heaven. 

On that path of final solitude, God will be with them, they are safe in His hand. As expressed in the responsorial psalm, “even though I walk in the dark valley, I fear no evil”. 

Although safe, the path could be very long for some, and many souls are forgotten, and have no one to pray for them. As years pass, memories also fade.

Praying for the souls in Purgatory is one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy. These souls yearn and hunger to be united with God. We, who are on earth, are the ones who can pray for them. They need our prayers.

Some time after we die, will our family and friends forget to pray for us also? No one can be sure, but the church will never forget us. This feast of All Souls is meant for such.

One of our retired priests told me that he would often remind his friends to state in their will that they want a Christian funeral mass and a certain number of masses celebrated for them.

While we are still alive on earth, we too can offer mass for ourselves. St. Anselmo said, “A single mass offered for oneself during life may be worth more than a thousand celebrated for the same intention after death”.

So make it a point to offer mass for yourself on your birthdate and baptism date, or any other date.

As we continue to prepare our own souls for heaven, let us never forget to pray for those who did not complete their preparation and need our help.

A beautiful, powerful prayer for the dead, is that from St. Gertrude The Great:

“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my home and within my family.  Amen.”

Fr. Nivin Scaria 


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