Reflection for November 2, 2025

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed 

Wisdom 3:1-9 | Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 | Romans 6:3-9 | John 6:37-40

​Today we celebrate All Souls Day. When we commemorate those we have known and loved who have died, we are reminded that we too are going to die. For many of us that is not a pleasant thought. Today the Church provides us with three wonderful readings from scripture that can be very reassuring as we confront death.

Little Lucio Santos, named for the light he brought into the world, had a fragile heart. Before he passed, he whispered to his parents, Rosa and Daniel, “Let my eyes help someone see.” Heartbroken, they could have succumbed to grief—but instead, they chose courage and hope. They honored Lucio’s wish, donating his eyes to Arvin, a blind boy. Rosa and Daniel poured love into every step of the process, transforming mourning into a celebration of life. Years later, Arvin’s photographs captured the world’s beauty, each image a tribute to Lucio. Standing quietly at his gallery opening, Rosa and Daniel realized that in choosing hope over despair, they had kept Lucio’s light alive—his vision now shining through another’s eyes.
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Whether it’s a close friend, spouse, partner, parent, child, or other relative, the death of a loved one can feel overwhelming. The bereavement and mourning process can trigger many intense and unexpected emotions. It can be very painful. It can feel like nothing matters. People describe it as being cut in two or losing a part of themselves. These feelings can be very frightening and upsetting. Our First reading from the Book of Wisdom allows those natural reactions, but offers a different and more spiritually faithful response. "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them." As we grieve the death of a loved one it can bring us comfort to know that they are being kept safe in the hands of God. The picture I see upon reading this passage is of God holding the dead person close. The same God who made the promises to us as heard in the passage is the one who also promises to care for all of God’s children until the day of resurrection and beyond. God gives grace and mercy to the dead and takes good care of those he has chosen. Let us leave to God to determine who are righteous and who are not while we take comfort from his promise to care and protect. 

Once upon a time, a hunter shot a mother eagle, leaving behind a single egg. A kind-hearted hen found it and placed it among her own. When the egg hatched, the farmer named the eaglet Chikita and raised her like any other chick. Chikita grew up scratching the ground, clucking, and thinking she was a chicken. Yet, whenever she looked up and saw eagles soaring across the sky, something inside her stirred—a longing she couldn’t explain. One day, a traveler saw her and knew at once what she truly was. Gently, he trained her to leap, then glide, then spread her wings. Finally, with a mighty thrust, he set her free. As she rose into the heavens, Chikita discovered what she had always been meant to be—an eagle, born to soar.

Now there is a lot of talk in our second reading from the Letter to the Romans about sin and death and life.  But here is the gist: The life we live, we live through our baptism. This baptism connects us to the death and resurrection of our Lord. Because he died, we have, in a sense died. And because he rose victoriously from the grave, we know that we have that life everlasting as well. We are united together with Christ. We live and die in fellowship with Christ our savior. His death is our death. His resurrection became our resurrection. If we become followers of Christ in this life, then after our death we shall continue to live with him in eternal life.

One night, as Saint Padre Pio knelt in prayer, a faint light filled his cell. A soul appeared—gentle, sorrowful, wrapped in mist. “Padre,” it whispered, “I long to go up to heaven, but no one prays for me.” Moved with compassion, Padre Pio wept. “You shall not be forgotten, my child,” he said softly. He offered Mass for the soul, praying through the night. When dawn came, the light returned—this time radiant, free. “Thank you, Padre,” it whispered as it rose upward, disappearing into glory. The friar remained kneeling, whispering to those who would one day hear his story: “Do not forget the souls in purgatory. They wait for your prayers—your love can lift them to heaven.”

In our Gospel today, Jesus affirms once again that the will of God is that he should not lose anything of what God gave him, but that he should raise them up on the last day. The Father's will is that every one who knows the Son and believes in him, shall have eternal life, and that in the resurrection day Christ shall raise him from the grave. These verses show that the will of the Father applies to every one who believes in the Son and that Christ has brought to light immortality. He is the resurrection and the life. Does it comfort you to know that God desires eternal life for everyone? In the Roman Catholic tradition, our celebration is based on the doctrine that the souls of the faithful which at death are not ready to enter into the fullness of God, may be helped to do so by prayer and by the celebration of the Mass. As prescribed by the Enchiridion of Indulgences and the Catechism, here are some ideas for praying for these suffering and often neglected souls, especially during November: https://tinyurl.com/EternalRestGrant. The souls of the faithfully departed are in an incapacitated state. Though they are no longer physically among us, they are not far from us. Though they are no longer breathing, they are still living. Let us pray for those who can no longer pray for themselves. Let us offer sacrifices for those who can no longer offer an acceptable sacrifice for themselves. Let us love those who can no longer love others. This is not something weird. This is natural. We do it with our dead. We do it with our heroes. We do it for our loved ones. This is how Christ showed His love. This is how we can show our love. We are a family forever.

Wishing you a bright and joyful Hallowmas and a heartfelt, prayerful Soulmas!

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