From Our Pastor: All Saints, All Souls, and the Call to Holiness
On the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church invites us to lift our eyes toward heaven and remember the countless men and women who have gone before us in faith. In the Book of Revelation, St. John gives us a vision of a great multitude from every nation, race, people, and tongue, standing before the throne of God. These are the saints who have persevered through trials and suffering and now rejoice in the presence of the Lord. Some of these saints are well known to us, their names celebrated on the Church’s calendar. Many others lived quiet, ordinary lives of faithfulness, never seeking recognition but striving each day to love God and serve their neighbor. Their witness reminds us that holiness is not reserved for a select few; it is the calling God extends to every one of us.
In the Gospel, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, a roadmap for the life of holiness. The poor in spirit, the merciful, the peacemakers, and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed because they have learned to live according to the heart of God. The saints were not people who lived without struggles or shortcomings; they were people who allowed God’s grace to transform them. As we celebrate All Saints’ Day, we honor their example and ask for their intercession, but we must also remember that we are called to join their number. Holiness begins in the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives in our families, our workplaces, our parish, and in the way we treat those around us. May the saints inspire us to live the Beatitudes faithfully, so that one day we, too, may stand among that great multitude and rejoice forever in the presence of God.
Tomorrow, November 2, the Church celebrates All Souls’ Day. This is a day dedicated to remembering and praying for all the faithful departed. While we rejoice in the saints who have entered the fullness of God’s presence, we also remember those who have died and may still be undergoing purification as they prepare to enter the joy of heaven. Our prayers for the dead are not simply acts of remembrance; they are acts of love rooted in our faith in the Communion of Saints and the promise of eternal life.
The Church has always encouraged the faithful to pray for the dead, offer Masses for their intentions, and remember them in our daily prayers. We do not know the full state of another person’s soul, but we can entrust our loved ones to the mercy of God and ask Him to bring them into the fullness of His heavenly kingdom. Stop by a cemetery and pray for the dead and receive an indulgence if we meet all of the norms.
On this All Souls’ Day, let us remember that death does not end our love for one another. Let us pray for our deceased family members, friends, and all those who have no one to pray for them (my grandma’s favorite thing was to pray for the most forgotten soul), confident that God’s mercy is greater than our understanding and that our prayers are a meaningful expression of the love that unites us in Christ.
Come join the parish as the youth group hosts Eucharistic adoration at St. Peter’s cemetery (off Broadway) this year, starting at 7:00 on Monday, November 2! Come join us.
Father Arisman