THE LIVING AND THE DEAD WHAT IS All Souls’ Day if not as a special day of prayer and remembering? We pray particularly for our beloved dead but as well as all the faithful who have gone ahead of us. The Church calls this day, rightly so, as The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Death is like putting our beloved on a train to a far-off place from which they will not return. For every departure, we see them off, and we remain. As the train leaves the station, and before we turn to make our way back to our daily life without them, we painfully wave good-bye to them. It is one of the most painful and troubling moments of our lives. The pain we feel of losing a loved one is never really gone. What makes our painful goodbye bearable and meaningful is our belief in the resurrection and the promise of eternal life. In effect, as we bid them goodbye, we say, “Until we meet again, in the resurrection!” There is a Mexican saying that we die three deaths: the first when our bodies die, the second when our bodies are lowered into the earth out of sight,and the third when our loved ones forget us. Catholics forestall that last death by seeing the faithful dead as members of the Church, alive in Christ,and by praying for them—and asking their prayers for us—always. For we believe in the communion of saints. The communion of saints is the spiritual union of the members of the Church, the living (we on earth), the faithful dead (in heaven) and those in state of purification (in Purgatory). We are all part of a single mystical body, with Christ as the head, in which each member contributes to the good of all and shares in the welfare of all. Thus we always pray for the dead in Purgatory. ~Réquiem ætérnam donaeis Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.~ ~Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.~ It is practically universal folk belief that the souls in Purgatory are allowed to return to earth on All Souls’ Day. In Austria, they are said to wander the forests, praying for release. In Poland, they are said to visit their parish churches at midnight, where a light can be seen because of their presence.Afterward, they visit their families, and to make them welcome, a door or window is left open. In many places, a place is set for the dead at supper, or food is otherwise left out for them. In any case, our beloved dead should be remembered, commemorated, and prayed for. During our visits to their graves, we spruce up their resting sites, sprinkling them with holy water, leaving votive candles, and adorning them flowers to symbolize the Eden-like paradise that man was created to enjoy, and may enjoy after death. Today is a good day to not only remember the dead spiritually, but to tell our children about their dearly departed. Bring out those old photo albums and family trees! Write down familys stories for our children and grandchildren! Impress upon them the importance of their forebears,whoever they were, whatever they have accomplished! Bring to their minds these words from Sirach: I will now praise the godly, our ancestors, in their own time, the abounding glory of the Most High’s portion, his own part, since the days of old, subduers of the land in kingly fashion, renowned for their might, counselors in their prudence, seers of all things in prophecy,resolute princes of the flock, lawgivers and their rules, sages skilled in composition, authors of sharp proverbs, composers of melodious psalms, writers of lyric poems; stalwart, solidly established, at peace in their own estates—All these were glorious in their time, illustrious in their day. Some of them left behind a name so that people recount their praises. Of others no memory remains, for when they perished, they perished, as if they had never lived, they and their children after them. Yet these also were godly; their virtues have not been forgotten. Their wealth remains in their families, their heritage with their descendants. Through God’s covenant their family endures, and their offspring for their sake. And for all time their progeny will endure, their glory will never be blotted out; their bodies are buried in peace, but their name lives on and on. At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praises. (Sirach 44:1-15) Remember, all of us living and dead are members of the mystical body of Christ. The dead is now sharing in the glory of the resurrection. When our own time comes, God welcomes us in his arms, in the dwelling place he has prepared for us. ________________ Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Day fisheaters/customstimeafterpentecost12ac.html opinion.inquirer.net/79787/follow-me liturgy.slu.edu/AllSouls110214/reflections_stump.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_of_saints usccb.org/
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 00:16:51 +0000
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