November 2, 2015 ・ All Souls' Day（C）

Wisdom 3.1-9 ・Psalms 23.2+3,4,6・ Romans 8.31b-35, 37-39 ・John 6.37-40

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed" is also known as "All Soul's Day". We remember and pray for our deceased brothers and sisters. The Catholic Church most especially pray for All the Souls we believe are in purgatory in their preparation and way to heaven. Today is Sunday, November 2, All Souls’ Day. Let us start our reflection from today’s special liturgy of the Word. Our first reading declares that “the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them”. In this sense, our starting point can be founded from our basic understanding that God is our Father, and we are His Children. We are for God and we are all His people. God spares us, and all His creation, so to say, because we are all His. This is our faith. This is our hope. The first of November however is the Solemnity of All Saints’ Day. They once lived on earth, with many similar very human experiences. Some may have lived half and maybe more than half of their lives sinning like us BUT have acknowledged their weakness, repented, lived a life of service and followed God. Some were simply men and women so holy, and had dedicated themselves to conversion of heart daily.  

Our second reading further elaborates the relationship that is going on between Him and us His people, and even between Him and those who have gone before us, who may have not lived on earth like Saints. We continue to believe that they will be able to return to the house of the Heavenly Father in His unending love and mercy. It is just that...we have to pray. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, is “convinced that neither death...nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

The prayer of the living (our prayers) for the repose of all the souls is our major purpose in participating to mass today. Our prayer meeting today, while we generally offering today prayers of petition, has also an element of deep thanksgiving for the Son of Man (the Messiah, Jesus Christ, our Lord) "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mk 10.45). We, up to the present days, hold on to this Good News. In a very similar way, our Gospel reading today talks about the Will of the Heavenly Father. Jesus once told that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and He shall raise on the last day. As we gather today, preserving our culture and tradition of praying for our departed loved ones, may we realize that the Commemoration Day for all our dead brothers and sisters, at the other end, is also for us, the living. We pray also that each one us will definitively make necessary conversion for the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. Having a patient and caring God, we too must be patient to ourselves and our neighbors. We have shortcomings, we fail, we commit mistakes. We are always hopeful that we can go beyond our weaknesses and we will be able to see the wonderful intention of God, Creator of all things, for our own selves, for others, for the rest of creations.