Reflection
The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
When I started a new ministry at a parish in northeast Detroit, I was eager to get to know the parishioners. The first people I met were the (mostly) women who came for morning Mass. These women impressed me with their cheerfulness and their openness to new experiences. They were often the first to sign up for our funeral lunch program or our ministry with the homebound.
As I got to know the “Morning Glories”, as they called themselves, they told me stories about their deceased husbands, for most of them were widows. I asked them how they could be so cheerful and so positive, when the love of their life was no longer with them. They gave me a knowing smile and said, “But he is with me.”
In our funeral liturgies, the priest says, “Life is changed, not ended.” The funeral liturgy also proclaims that death does not break the bonds forged in life. Those who have buried a loved one understand, like Morning Glories, that love does not end, and communion with the dead continues, even as we live our lives without their physical presence. Our loving connection with those who have passed away has been referred to as the “Communion of Saints”: the spiritual unity of the Church, which includes all members, both living and dead.
In today’s first reading from the Book of Wisdom, we are reassured that the “souls of the just are in the hands of God.” In the Bible, being “just” means living in right relationship with God, others, and all Creation: a life marked by compassion, integrity, service, and faithfulness. Today we remember the “faithful departed”, those who lived just lives and now rest in the hands of God. Our deceased family members, community members, teachers, and beloved mentors and friends gave us life and shared life with us. We thank God for them, and they live forever in our hearts.
