Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Cycle C
Saturday,
November 2, 2013
Saint Margaret, Bel Air
Mystery
As we
go through life, we gather more and more experience, and usually we realize
that there is what we call mystery.
Often,
with some age there comes the wisdom that we will not know and understand
everything in life. In fact, life seems
more and more like the astronomer’s probing of the universe.
The
more you look into it, the more mysterious and awesome it appears. Along with this acceptance of mystery, we may
also become more trusting.
We may
come to a deeper trust in God’s loving care for us. This acceptance of mystery and this act of
trust in God are never clearer than when we face death.
Maybe
it will be the thought of our own dying or maybe it will be our dealing with
the death of a loved one. No question,
here we face mystery and we need trust.
Our
Catholic or Christian faith approaches this day, All Souls Day, with this sense
of mystery and trust. And our faith,
rooted in the Word of God and in our long tradition, offers us two pieces of
assistance.
Communion of Saints
First,
right in our Profession of Faith, we state our belief in the Communion of
Saints.
This
includes not only the formally canonized saints of the Church. Instead, it includes all of those who have
gone on to eternal rest before us.
And it
even includes us. The word saints
originally meant all the baptized.
So the
Communion of Saints means that there is a relationship, a communion of life
between all persons, even between the living and the dead. Now we all know that we can affect one
another physically, for example, if we give each a nice lunch or something good
to eat.
And we
can affect one another emotionally, for example, if we say some affirming or
very kind word. We believe that we can also
affect one another spiritually by talking of God or sharing our faith in God’s
word.
The
Communion of Saints says that we even affect each other spiritually by our
prayers. And so, on this day and every
time we celebrate Mass, we pray for those who have died.
We
believe that we can assist them by asking God’s light and love and life for
them. This is our prayer on All Souls Day
and it is our intention every time we pray for loved one who has died.
Companionship
And the
second aid that our faith gives us today is companionship.
It is
so valuable to remember our loved ones who have died. Remembering them allows them and their spirit
to inspire us in our daily lives.
They
can gently be with us and help us on the journey of life – when we have
decisions to make or sufferings to deal with.
A parent, a spouse, a child, a friend – they can be our spiritual
companions through life.
This
too is why we are here and what we do this morning. We remember these loved ones and allow their
light to be a light for us.
Readings: I John 3.1-2
John
6.37-40
