Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

This Sunday, the Church observes All Souls Day and we commemorate the faithful departed and remember them in our prayers and especially at Mass.
The reality of death is something that we cannot deny or look away from. We have seen our loved ones, our relatives and friends pass on, and the emotions can be anything from sadness to grief. At the back of our minds is the lingering reminder of our own mortality, that one day, our time will come when we have to pass on from this world. With those who have passed on, we do not really know how they exist and what is the kind of life they have. We only know that they are in the hands of God. Jesus said that it is God’s will that He should lose nothing of all that is given to Him.
As for us, we remember the departed and more importantly we remember them with love. When we remember them with love, then we can believe that they are alive in God, because where there is love, there is life. The God that we believe in is the God of the living and not a god of the dead. Our departed loved ones, our relatives and friends, and also those whom we do not know, become alive in our memories when we remember them with love.
Therefore, this feast of All Souls is not about death, rather it is about life and it is a solemn occasion for us to pray for the departed, especially for those who are being purified as they journey into the presence of God. May our prayers and remembrance of love help them to attain the eternal life of peace and rest in the presence of God. May we journey on in faith and place our hope in the God of life and love who will reunite us with the departed and we will sing God’s praises for all eternity.
Our reflection is: have we prayed for our departed, especially from our family members and others that we know? What does this celebration mean for us?
Fr. Aegidius Warsito (SCJ)