The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Readings: Wisdom 3:1-9 / Romans 5:5-11 / John 6:37-40
The following is a homily I delivered on All Souls Day LAST YEAR, based on the same readings we have today:
Each year the Church offers the back-to-back observances of All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd.
All Saints Day is considered a celebration! Celebratory white vestments are worn. We honor the many holy men and women who have gone before us, designated as saints by the Church. Saints are persons in heaven who lived virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation.
All Saints Day is a day of great hope as we are told repeatedly that we too can become saints.
The celebration of All Souls Day takes on a different tone, or at least we perceive that to be the case. We wear vestments of the penitential color purple, or some clergy may even wear black vestments.
All Souls Day is a serious and dignified day that specifically calls on us to pray for the souls of the dead and to remember those who have gone before us.
The day is more personal to us than All Saints Day, as we remember our own deceased loved ones, friends, and community members.
It can also be a sad day. We remember our loved ones and in the back of our minds wonder if they do indeed rest peacefully in heaven.
Our prayers on All Souls Day are purposeful and directed. They assist in expediting the process of purification. The Church recognizes that few people achieve perfection in this life. We are imperfect humans and go to the grave with remaining traces of sinfulness. Because of this, a period of purification is necessary to prepare the soul to join God.
How often have we said, “We pray for the repose of their soul” without really understanding what that means? Those prayers are important! When we pray for the repose of someone’s soul, we aid in the purification of that imperfect soul and make possible its eventual entry into heaven.
This purification takes place in Purgatory. The word purgatory may make us uncomfortable. It should not. I think we are uncomfortable because of what we perceive Purgatory to be.
Many of us may picture Purgatory as a place halfway between Heaven and Hell, the place where final judgment takes place. Will we share eternal life with the righteous sheep or enter the fires of hell with the unrighteous goats?
Purgatory is NOT the halfway point between heaven and hell where judgment takes place. Rather, it is heaven’s waiting room.
Here is an analogy that may help our understanding:
Perhaps we can think of going to heaven in terms of getting into college. If our grades and SAT scores are nearly perfect, we may be offered direct admission into the university. Not too many people will be offered direct admission. For most, more information will be needed. We will need to provide our last semester grades, more information on our application, or perhaps an essay detailing our desire to attend the university. We receive provisional admission to the school – we are going to get in, we just need to clear up a few things. THAT is Purgatory.
This is how Purgatory is defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship are assured of eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (1030)
A person going straight to Heaven is already in a state of perfect holiness and union with God, while a person going to Purgatory is still undergoing purification to remove imperfections before entering heaven. Both destinations are for souls who die in God’s grace, but purgatory is a temporary, purifying process for those not yet perfect.
Our prayers for the souls of the faithful departed serve as a part of the purifying process. Our role in helping others get to heaven should not be taken lightly.
It is important to recognize that Purgatory is not a state of punishment, but rather a cleansing very much like our Baptism. Purgatory makes the soul perfect – for eternity.
I described All Saints Day as a celebration of great hope. We should do our best to recognize All Souls Day as a day of great hope as well. The readings for today focus on that hope.
From the Book of Wisdom we heard, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them…they are in peace.”
There is hope for peace.
In Paul’s Letter to the Romans we heard, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts.”
There is hope for God’s love.
And finally, from the Gospel of John we heard, “everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life…”
There is hope for eternal life.
Today we gather in community to pray for the souls of the faithful departed, asking that their souls be further purified by our prayers. We include in these prayers our hope for their experience of peace, God’s love, and eternal life.
By extension, that hope should remain alive in our hearts. We should hold fast to what the Church has told us: All who die in God’s grace and friendship…are assured of their eternal salvation.
At the conclusion of the Mass of Christian burial, the priest says these words, “Into your hands, Father of mercies, we commend our brother (or sister), in the sure and certain hope that, together with all who have died in Christ, he (or she) will rise with him on the last day.”
To say “sure and certain hope” indicates our hope is very strong, strong enough to overcome our doubts.
As for me, I know I have done my best to stay in God’s friendship and have been open to his abundant grace. I also know for a fact that I am not perfect and that it is highly unlikely I will be offered direct admission to Heaven. I am sure and certain I will spend time in Purgatory.
The knowledge that Purgatory exists, and knowing our family, friends, and parish community will pray for our souls, allows us to have the sure and certain hope we will all enjoy eternal life together.
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