2 November 2020
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed(All Souls)
Today we celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed (All Souls Days). This day is a reminder for us that we will be held accountable for our action in this world. Consequently, many who have departed from this world have not fully atoned for their past transgression. These departed souls would remain in Purgatory and we need to assist them to be freed from Purgatory.
This past year I have witnessed a few deaths. Late last year a close family friend died. Then, my biological father died early this year. In the middle of quarantine, a former professor and mentor of mine also died. In all of these instances, there is a common statement from the family who were left behind, including my mother. They all hope that their loved one goes straight to Heaven. Based on pastoral reasons, I did not want to correct any of them. But theologically, I know that their position is problematic because all of us are sinners and while we try to live a holy life, it is hard for us to be perfectly cleansed from venial sin. Consequently, we will be deprived of the beatific vision until all of us are completely sanctified in Christ.
Many people believe that their love ones are going directly to heaven after they die. Instead of correcting their mistake, what we can do is pray for their souls. As C.S. Lewis put it correctly when he wrote:
“Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love best are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to Him.” (C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm, 107).