ALL SOULS (C) : Wednesday 2nd November 2022

St. Paul convinced us when he expounded these joyful words: “Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus, Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation” (Romans 5:11).

St. Paul explains that we are buried with Jesus in His grave through baptism. Now, we can share in His victory over death. No longer enslaved to sin, we are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We can take great comfort in these words, too: “The Lord will destroy Death forever… The Lord will wipe away the tears from every cheek; He will take away His people’s shame everywhere on earth…” (Isaiah 25:8).

This is why All Souls’ Day is important. It reminds us that God, knowing the weakness and frailty of our human nature, has made way for us to enter His holy presence perfectly cleansed and acceptable to Him. As the Church teaches, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death, they undergo purification, to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.1030).

The Lord’s visit to the widow of Nain and her son prefigures our own destiny. It is He who will raise us as He raised her son. Death has no sting anymore on us. (cf. 1 Cor. 15:55-57).

Lord, “I believe that I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).