This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant
The Solemnity of All Saints invites the pilgrim Church on earth to a foretaste of the everlasting feast in the community of heaven and to the revival of our hope in eternal life….
The next day, All Souls Day, is a celebration of all the faithful departed. I would like to invite you to live All Souls Day in an authentic Christian spirit, that is, in the light that comes from the Paschal Mystery.
Christ died and rose again, and has opened for us the way to the house of the Father, the Kingdom of life and peace….
Therefore, as we visit the cemeteries, let us remember that resting in those tombs are merely the mortal remains of our dear ones who await the final resurrection.
Their souls, as Scripture tells us, are already in the hand of God (Wis 3:1). Thus, the most proper and effective way to honor them is to pray for them, offering acts of faith, hope, and charity.
In union with the Eucharistic Sacrifice, we can intercede for their eternal salvation and experience the most profound communion in the expectation of being together, of enjoying forever the Love which created and redeemed us.
Dear friends, how beautiful and comforting is the Communion of Saints! It is a reality that instills a different dimension into our whole life.
We are never alone. We are part of a spiritual “company” where profound solidarity reigns: the good of each one is for the benefit of everyone, and vice versa. Common happiness shines on every individual.
It is a mystery which, in some measure, we can already experience in this world, in the family, in friendship, and especially in the spiritual community of the Church.
May Mary Most High help us to walk quickly on the way to holiness, and may she be the Mother of mercy for the souls of the departed.
Excerpted from an introduction to the recitation of the Angelus, St. Peter’s Square, November 1, 2009
