Our Beloved Dead

2 Nov

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.  (Wis 3:1-3)

Every coin has two sides, commonly called “heads” and “tails”.

Yet, whether a coin lands on heads or tails, it is still the coin.

A dime is a dime whether or not it lands on heads or tails.  If a dime lands on heads nine times out of ten, the one time that it lands on tails, it’s still a dime.

Today, we celebrate the Feast of All Souls.  It is the other side of a very important coin.  Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of All Saints.  However, all the saints and all the souls are part of the same “coin”:  all the redeemed.

God made us in His immortal image and likeness.  He loved us into existence.  He cared so much about us that He sent us His only Son so that we might be set free from the corruption of sin and death.

His Son loved us so much that He died on the cross for us.

In that, we were redeemed.

Yesterday, on the Feast of All Saints, we celebrated those men and women who lived exemplary lives and who the Church holds up as models of virtue. They inspire us and help us to live our lives better.

Today, the Feast of All Souls reminds us of all of those who have gone before us, including our mothers and fathers, our husbands and wives, our brothers and sisters, our daughters and sons, our nephews and nieces, our relatives, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

All the people who died are in need of prayer so that they make their final destination: heaven.  Some of those who have died are already there.  Others may be in purgatory.  It is for them that we pray, that they reach the full glories of heaven soon.

The celebration of the saints and the souls both remind us that we have been redeemed.  We give thanks to God for that great gift!

We fondly remember all of those whom we have lost. May God bless them and give them peace!

FAITH ACTION:  Remember the faithful departed in your prayers today.

Eternal Rest grant to them, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.  Amen