Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day), November 2, 2003 Wisdom 3:1-9 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28 John 6:37-40	Listen to Audio

When asking us about things that Catholics believe, our Protestant brothers and sisters will often question, “Well, where is it in the Bible?”

There is, for example, nothing in the Bible about Purgatory or about praying for those who have died, with one small exception in the Book of Maccabees, which is not included in the Protestant Bible.

Why, then, do we pray for the dead? Even though it’s not in the Bible, there’s evidence from the very earliest days that Christians considered praying for the dead very important. That evidence comes from inscriptions in the catacombs, the burial places where Christians would frequently gather to honor their beloved deceased family members and fellow Christians. In fact, these inscriptions give evidence that they also prayed to the dead as well, especially to martyrs, those who had given their lives for the faith, and other holy women and men. They asked them to pray for them, recognizing that the bonds of love and unity in Christ formed in this world were not destroyed by death, and remained into the eternal life to come. In fact, standing in praise before the face of God, their prayers were regarded as especially valuable by the early Christians.

And so it is with us today. On All Souls Day we gather to remember our beloved dead, those who were so much a part of our lives. But we do not merely look backward in memory, we look forward in hope. None of the people we are honoring and praying for today would want to come back, even if they could. They know that what awaits us is the fulfillment of our whole reason for being here. They are waiting for us, and longing for us to join them.

While our prayer for them is that God may purify them of whatever they brought into eternity that is not fully of God, so that they may welcome and receive the full presence of God in eternal life, their prayer for us is that we will prepare ourselves to receive the fulfillment of God’s promises by faithful Christian living here and now.

May we, therefore, be mindful in remembering them in our prayer, and confident in seeking their prayers for us as well.
The best way that we can prepare to join them is by walking each day in awareness of God’s love, especially by reflecting on God’s forgiveness. If you have been following the Retreat for Everyday Life, you know that we have spent the last few weeks becoming more and more aware of sin in our world and in our lives, and the great damage and evil that it truly is. This week, the retreat guide invites us to examine and immerse ourselves in an awareness of how much we are loved by God because he forgives and accepts us, no matter how unworthy we may feel. We seldom think that God not only loves us but enjoys us, takes delight in us. Eternal life with God is not something that we can earn because he has already given it to us in the gift of Jesus Christ. It is ours to receive simply by receiving him into our lives.

As we have said before, this retreat can be best followed on the internet, and you can access the retreat website through our parish website whose address is found in the bulletin. But for those who prefer a printed guide, you can pick up the new guides for the month of November at the Welcome Table in the patio or in the Parish Office. During this month of November, the Lord calls us to consider how to be holy “as he is holy,” by “loving one another as he has loved us.” May we continue to support one another and pray for one another to seek and find him in all things.

© Thomas Welbers 2003