by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
November 1 is the feast of All Saints. Our Catechism tells us that: “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live for ever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they ‘see him as he is’, face to face” (1023).
All Souls’ Day (November 2) is a day when we remember and pray for the souls of all those who have died. Our Catechism states: “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, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (1030).
In his homily at the evening Mass on November 1 last year, Pope Francis stated that the feasts of All Saints and All Souls are “days of hope”. The virtue of “hope is like a bit of leaven that enlarges your soul. There are difficult moments in life, but with hope you go forward and keep your eyes on what awaits us. Today is a day of hope; our brothers and sisters are in the presence of God, and we, too, will be there in the Lord’s arms if we follow the path of Jesus.
“God is the one who saves, he is the one who carries us like father – at the end of our lives – to that heaven where our forebears are. If today we are remembering these brothers and sisters of ours who lived before us and are now in heaven, they are there because they were washed in the blood of Christ. That is our hope, and this hope does not disappoint. If we live our lives with the Lord, he will never disappoint us. We are children of God” and live in hope of one day seeing God as he is.
We can make a difference to the souls of those who have gone before us and are being purified in purgatory. As Fr Randy Sly said: “…purgatory is a doctrine of love, the love of a God who wants us to be truly free – and find our completion and joy in His eternal embrace of communion…
“Purgatory calls us to remember that sin contains a double consequence (CCC #1472). There is the eternal punishment, for which Christ has already atoned. Further, there is a temporal punishment, what we might call the stain of sin, something unhealthy that attaches to us. It is for this temporal punishment, that purgatory is our means of refinement.
“All we know is that we will have a profound encounter with Christ’s divine love that will be our refiner’s fire, consuming all the wood, hay and dross…the light of His love will show every spot, wrinkle and blemish. The stain of sin and our impurities will be removed that we might be made ready for eternity.”
We are all called to be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). This is a lifelong challenge. But if we strive to mature into our faith, we may yet succeed – we are all living saints in the making. And if we die while in a state of venial sin, purgatory offers us the hope that we will eventually enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
I am in London and I am preparing to visit the rose garden at the crematorium where the ashes of my dear mother, Ruby, are scattered. I will also visit the cemetery where the ashes of my brother, Sharma, are buried. I thank God that they both received the last rites before they died. If we die with Christ, we shall live with Him too.
And since none of us know the date and time of our death, let us strive to imitate the life of Christ. By His cross and resurrection, He has set us free and so we live in hope of joining him at the end of our lives – to live with Him forever.
I end with the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: “Christian hope is never something merely individual, it’s always a hope for others. Our lives are deeply linked, one to another, and the good and bad each one does always impacts the rest. So the prayer of a pilgrim soul in the world can help another soul that continues purifying itself after death.
“And for this, today the Church invites us to pray for our beloved dead and to spend time at their tombs in the cemeteries. Mary, Star of Hope, make stronger and more authentic our faith in eternal life and sustain our prayer of suffrage for our departed brothers.”
