All Souls Day
Perhaps you should read the selected readings again. The first time through you might be saying to yourself, where did I hear these before? The answer is that most of these four readings are read at funerals. We have a small booklet with various readings appropriate for funerals listed.
When you are grieving it is somewhat comforting to read from the Bible, particularly readings appropriate for a funeral. The readings recommended for a funeral are readings full of hope, eternal life, a place of beauty, with no pain or suffering, and purgatory. Yes, even purgatory.
We should not consider purgatory as a bad place, but an extension of heaven. It is a place where our final sins are purged away, and we are prepared for heaven. It is also a place where we discover our sins of omission. Even those sins need to be purged or restitution made for our lack of concern or action.
From the Book of Wisdom, we envision ourselves as a sacrificial offering. Our life on earth has drawn to a close. Our eternal life now begins.
We are the elect who will understand truth and God’s grace and mercy will be with us forever. We accept the fact that to enter eternal life we must cross the threshold of death. But life does not end.
The gospel proclaims that everyone who believes in the Son will have eternal life and that Jesus will raise us up at the last day. Pray for the souls in purgatory. Pray for our families.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen