At the threshold of November we celebrate the Feast of All Saints, and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day). When we think of the saints, we usually bring to mind the officially canonized holy men and women. For example, in November we honor St. Charles Borromeo, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, St. Margaret of Scotland, and St. Andrew the Apostle. The Feast of All Saints inspires us to honor and learn from the “famous and less-known” saints, and the ones only known to us – our grandparents, mother, father, or a friend. I think of an angelic young girl, Lauren, crippled from birth by all imaginable deformities, and totally dependent on others to live. When you looked for a moment into her eyes – all you saw was a brilliant beauty and radiance of God’s creation! A saint is a living reminder that our Creator can pour into our body and soul - miraculously transforming grace, if we are only open to it. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we are all called to grow in holiness and become “conformed” to the image of Jesus Christ – the Holy One of God.
Many religious traditions and cultures have meaningful rituals to remember the beloved dead. The Catholic Church has always encouraged prayers for the holy repose of the souls of our departed brothers and sisters. Offering a Mass for our family members and friends is particularly beneficial and memorable. It is clear in the Holy Scripture that even after death our loving God gives us the opportunity to grow in grace – as we journey into the blessedness of heaven. “The souls of the just are in the hand of God” (Wisdom 3:1). St. Paul reminds us: “If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him – in newness of life” (cf. Romans, 6:4-8). We are therefore called to pray for our departed, as they are praying and interceding on our behalf. It is especially at the end of the Mass of Christian burial, when we incense the body in the casket or the remains in the urn, that I ask the physically departed person, and yet fully alive in God, to pray for the grieving family, for me, and for all of us. This month, while we remember all our beloved departed, we particularly honor and pray for our parishioners who went to God’s heavenly home this past year. While we miss their physical presence, our spiritual bond with them is even stronger – as they now share with the Lord Jesus, the fullness of life, love, joy, and peace, and see God – “face to face.”