Reflection on All Souls Day

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
- Readings: Wisdom 3:1-9; Psalm 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11 or 6:3-9; John 6:37-40

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“As gold in the furnace, he proved them…” (Wis. 3:6). Today on All Souls Day we remember the souls in purgatory as they undergo purification before entering heaven. Purgatory is defined by the Church as “the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven,” (Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 210).

To enter into heaven, a place that contains no impurities because it is perfection, one must be pure. Since God is all perfect, to be wrapped in His grace in heaven requires perfection. Purgatory is the purification of one’s soul before entering heaven. We are "gold" thanks to our baptism, through which we die and rise with Christ (cf. Rom. 6:3-4), and due to our sinfulness, we must be purified to cleanse us of our impurities. The Church does not have a firm teaching in how long this purification process lasts. It is perfectly reasonable to believe that the more stains a soul possesses the longer the purification will take.

The Church sets aside the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, more commonly known as All Souls, to remember them and pray for them. In today’s first reading St. Paul teaches us about Christ’s death as the means of reconciling with us sinners (Rom. 5:6-11). We should not grow weary of death! We should embrace it with confidence if we are walking with Christ!

The Church Suffering (souls in purgatory) has the hope of salvation, because they are guaranteed to enter it. Praying for them during this process helps shower them with grace. Praying for the souls in purgatory also reminds us of our spiritual lives. Are we living for Christ? Are we seeking purification while on earth? It is also perfectly reasonable to expect a shorter time in purgatory if we prevent our souls from acquiring many stains.

With the souls in purgatory in our prayers, let us march forward as servants of God called to be missionary disciples. Let us carry this hope of salvation wherever we go and be a witness to it! God’s will is for us to have eternal life (John 6:40)! Let us respond to God’s Will with a resounding “yes!”. Amen.

God is good!

Deus Invictus! Credo Domine!

Reflection on the Solemnity of All Saints

Solemnity of All Saints
- Readings: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Matt. 5:1-12

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Does the world understand you? If so, what does it understand about you? Does it see you as a child of God or just another person on this planet? By our righteous lives will the world understand us to be Christians. This will disturb the world, because it does not know God, but fear not (cf. 1 John 3:1) open wide the doors to Christ!

In today’s first reading we are presented with an angel marching from the East (heaven) holding the seal of the living God (Rev. 7:2). The angel commanded the angels given control of nature to not destroy anything until the seal of God was placed on the servants of God (7:3). The point of this is to remind Christians that they are and will be protected from the coming turbulence. As servants of God, we are under His Divine Protection even in death.

We are sealed in God through the Sacraments, primarily Baptism and Confirmation. This should give us confidence to press forward! Christ recognizes that we are human, and thus knows we will experience various hurdles that could lead us to despair. Our Lord lays out that we don’t need to have perfect lives to inherit the Kingdom in the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-11). In fact, Christ even prepares us for persecution. But fear not! Christ tells us to rejoice and be glad because our reward will not be a worldly one, but a Godly one in heaven (5:12)!

Today we celebrate this reward and those that currently reside in it. The saints have run the race and entered the grace of God in heaven. As John puts it, the saints are "the ones that survived the time of great distress," (Rev. 7:14). They, along with the angels, are in the presence of the Creator of the Universe! They have God’s ear and are ready to intercede for us. Let us turn to them as examples of holy living for our Lord and His Kingdom. Amen amen God is certainly good!

Remembering the saints should stir up joy! These examples of holy living should give us confidence and hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The reason we should be confident is because these saints are human! They experienced the same senses, feelings, and emotions that we do. They are filled with the same Holy Spirit that we are! Let us press forward and keep running the race with the hope of one day joining them.

God is good!

Deus Invictus! Credo Domine!