All Souls, Cycle B

Today is the feast of All Souls, the day the Church sets aside for us to remember our beloved dead. It is the day that makes us specifically Catholic, and a day that marks an entire month, that we set apart, to pray for that remembrance. However, its purpose is not just to remember, but, more importantly, to assist those who have gone before us by our prayers.

In fact, in our first reading from the Book of Maccabees we see how powerful our prayers can be. In fact, often when I preach a funeral homily, I am reminded of what a priest once said, he said: “when we lay a wreath in someone’s honor the flowers will wither but the prayers we offer for our beloved dead never wither. So that by saying just one “Hail Mary” or “Our Father” it can last into eternity, because, prayer has that type of lasting value.

And it is this that makes this day specifically Catholic, because as much as we want to believe that everyone immediately makes it to Heaven, we know that some have not made it there yet, because we also know that in order to enter Heaven we need to be pure, and the least stain will keep us from achieving that goal.

Which is why we believe that there is a place and state of preparation and purification, which we call Purgatory. And though it is a place of great suffering, the suffering that is experienced is not pointless, for, the ultimate reward is Heaven.

That is why today we offer our prayers and this Mass for those who may still be on their way to Heaven, for our beloved dead who may still be in Purgatory. It is the Church’s way to get us pray for them, and to really show us the power that prayer truly has. For, if we think about it this Mass and our prayers could possibly free countless souls from Purgatory.

Perhaps, there is one soul in desperate need of just one more prayer, one more Mass, one more person to intercede on their behalf, and perhaps that person is us. Not only have our prayers then freed a soul, but now we also have someone that can pray for us.

I know sometimes it is difficult to think of a family member, relative or friend having to endure Purgatory, yet, at the same time, that difficulty, that decision to believe them in Heaven and, therefore, finding it unnecessary to pray for them, only prevents them from moving forward in their journey towards a life before the face of God.

We call today All Souls Day, because it is a day solely dedicated to celebrating Mass for those souls in Purgatory, and, actually, not just this Mass, but the entire month of November, to remember our beloved dead and to pray fervently for them.

In fact, as some of you may or may not know, traditionally on this day, in Europe, many children would go door to door, singing a song, or reciting a poem, for a treat, the treat that was given was called a soul cake, because those children promised to pray for the soul of a family member of the one giving the treat.

If it was that important to give something in order for another to pray, we should realize how valuable and how needed our own prayers are as well.

Therefore, let us take time, each day this month, to remember someone, known or unknown, named or unnamed, family member or friend that may need our prayers in Purgatory, and let us offer as many prayers and Masses as we possibly can on their behalf to help them speed the process, as it were, to Heaven. For, by doing so, we are practicing Christian charity in its truest form, and not only that, but we will have a saint in Heaven to pray for us, and then offer their prayer for us.

That is why it seems fitting to end with a very beautiful prayer to the heart of Jesus for the Most Holy Souls in Purgatory:

O Gentlest Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on the soul of Your departed servant. Be not severe in your Judgment, but let some drops of your Precious Blood fall upon them and send O Merciful Saviour Your angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light, and peace.

V. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord.

R. And let the perpetual light shine upon them.

May their soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the divine mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.