Nov 2 – All Souls Day
Today we celebrate a feast in commemoration of the faithful departed in purgatory, that is, the faithful departed who have not yet been purified and reached Heaven. After Abbot Odilo of Cluny instituted it in the monasteries of his congregation in 998, other religious orders took up the observance, and it was adopted by various dioceses and gradually by the whole Church. The Office of the Dead must be recited by the clergy on this day and Pope Benedict XV granted to all priests the privilege of saying three Masses of requiem: one for the souls in purgatory, one for the intention of the Holy Father, one for the priests.
- Patron Saint Index
Wis 3:1-9
Rm 5:5-11
Jn 6:37-40
The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.
My father-in-law, James, passed in early September. I have wondered every day since, what happens to the souls of the departed after the body is pronounced dead. Did James make it back to God ok? Or is his soul wandering in limbo somewhere? As a family, we have delayed the funeral mass and the interment of his ashes till everyone in the family is able to fly into town for his funeral mass. What happens to James’ soul in the interim? No one has really given me a convincing answer.
Until his final moments, I don’t believe that James thought he was going to die. He spoke as he always did, complaining about the slowness of things, how he was not happy with this or that detail of hospice care, how we had curtailed his freedom. It seemed to me that he thought he would get well. As he lay dying, I listened to him make plans with persons I could not see, but who were real to him, talking about a trip they were planning, and what they would do, and why there was this delay getting started. He fully intended to resume living as normal.
On his last day with us, I think the realization finally dawned on him. But by then, speech was no longer possible. I watched him clutch the hand of everyone who came to his bedside with panic in his eyes. He mouthed ‘help me’ at one point, gripping tightly to a cross someone had placed near him. There was not the feeling of ‘eternal peace’ or ‘perpetual light’ to the experience. He resisted death; and it is this aspect of his dying, that saddens me the most. What happened to him as he passed over? Was there someone to guide him to the next place? Was there confusion? He was never good with directions, how was he supposed to find his way?
James’ last years were lived in practical isolation, aside from being with family. All his friends had passed on. Then he lost his hearing, which hastened the onset of dementia and confusion. Now that I think of it, he must have been so lonely. So, I worry… I worry that James is lost somewhere. And that as his family, we did not do enough to see to this aspect of things; to help prepare the way better perhaps, to help prepare him better.
I hope that things really are as written in today’s readings — that the souls of the just are indeed in the hands of God. That Christ will not allow for James to be lost. That there truly is a newness of life for those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus. Most of all, I hope that James is no longer lonely, no longer suffering, no longer struggling with confusion. I hope that God was there to receive him. I hope that he has found belonging, that he has found comfort, that he has found his dwelling place as promised in Scripture. I hope, I hope, that he has found peace.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Sharon Soo)
Prayer: We pray for all the faithful departed, that God may grant them mercy and eternal peace.
Thanksgiving: We give thanks for the Church, that she intercedes for the souls of our faithful departed, that she has prayers and intercessions for all the deceased, that all might find their way to eternal peace in God’s dwelling.
Leave a Reply