Feast of All the Faithful Departed
02 November 2019
02 November 2019
When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day, the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day, the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him.
By Pietro S. Albano
After sharing my reflection on God's glory last month, I had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues in our Rosary group regarding what happens when we die. He asked me if the soul would go straight to heaven or will have a stopover in purgatory. I told him I don't know. We both agreed though that when the soul does go to purgatory, there is hope that that soul will someday go to heaven. Unfortunately, if the soul goes to hell there is no chance for it to go to heaven. Which is why we need to pray for those in purgatory so that they will soon be enjoying the presence of God.
November is a time to remember all those who have died. There are those who made us laugh, feel loved, and inspired us. I am sure they will be on top of our list of people to pray for. However, there are those who may have hurt us, those we did not get along with, and those who rejected our love. Inspired by Jesus' forgiveness, let us also pray for them. This can oftentimes be difficult, but let's place them in the hands of God who knows what is best for us. Finally, there are those we do not know at all who may have no one to pray for them. Out of Christian charity, let's remember them too.
This month is also a time to think of our own death. Going back to the conversation I had with my colleague, I encouraged him to keep on praying for ourselves, particularly when our time is up because the Devil is doing everything it can, even in our last moment, to snatch us from God. If he did that to Jesus (who turned him away at every instant, in the desert, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Calvary), he will do the same thing with us who follow Christ.
Jesus passed on from death to new life. Like the people in this First Reading today, let us look forward, be glad, and rejoice in the Lord's salvation!
Prayer
After sharing my reflection on God's glory last month, I had an interesting conversation with one of my colleagues in our Rosary group regarding what happens when we die. He asked me if the soul would go straight to heaven or will have a stopover in purgatory. I told him I don't know. We both agreed though that when the soul does go to purgatory, there is hope that that soul will someday go to heaven. Unfortunately, if the soul goes to hell there is no chance for it to go to heaven. Which is why we need to pray for those in purgatory so that they will soon be enjoying the presence of God.
November is a time to remember all those who have died. There are those who made us laugh, feel loved, and inspired us. I am sure they will be on top of our list of people to pray for. However, there are those who may have hurt us, those we did not get along with, and those who rejected our love. Inspired by Jesus' forgiveness, let us also pray for them. This can oftentimes be difficult, but let's place them in the hands of God who knows what is best for us. Finally, there are those we do not know at all who may have no one to pray for them. Out of Christian charity, let's remember them too.
This month is also a time to think of our own death. Going back to the conversation I had with my colleague, I encouraged him to keep on praying for ourselves, particularly when our time is up because the Devil is doing everything it can, even in our last moment, to snatch us from God. If he did that to Jesus (who turned him away at every instant, in the desert, in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Calvary), he will do the same thing with us who follow Christ.
Jesus passed on from death to new life. Like the people in this First Reading today, let us look forward, be glad, and rejoice in the Lord's salvation!
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