2 November 2014
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
One of the many beautiful devotions of the Catholic Faith is that of praying for the repose of a loved one’s soul. Here we recognize that the love Christ has for us does not end with our bodily death, nor does death put a stop to His love’s work of making us more like our Father in heaven. We are invited, therefore, to pray continually for our beloved dead; to ask that through His redeeming Love, which is poured out upon us so lavishly in the Eucharist, Christ may give a most perfect rest and most blessed peace to the ones we love.
Today, we confess with our prayers and actions that Christ loves us with a truly everlasting love. As the book of Wisdom proclaims, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” (Wis 3:1) Let us believe this firmly. And let us hope that one day we shall join them in their timeless praise of the Lord’s endless love.