The Souls of the Just Are in the Hand of God
(All Souls)
The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. Wisdom 3:1-6
Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless, died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find the courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Romans 5:5-8
Jesus said to the crowds: "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. John 6:37-40
Piety
May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Study
Our first reading from the poetic Book of Wisdom points out that “immortality is
the reward of the righteous, and then in the light of that belief comments on three points of the traditional discussion of the problem of retribution (suffering, childlessness, early death) each of which was often seen as a divine punishment. However, for the righteous (who died in a state of grace), sufferings are not punishments but purification and opportunities to show fidelity, whereas for the wicked suffering is truly a punishment.”
Our problem is that after death, we do not know how to tell who died “wicked” from who died “righteous.” So, what’s a good Catholic to do? We have back to back Holy Days/holidays to point us in the right direction.
What Is the Difference Between All Saints Day & All Souls Day? I will admit to sometimes sharing a bit of confusion between the two days thinking they are the same thing.
First, yesterday was All Saints Day. That was a day to hold up the saints as models (remember the “Ideal” talk on your weekend?) of ways to live. No matter who is your favorite saint from Ignatius of Loyola to Alphonsus Rodriguez, from Benedict to Scholastica, from Francis to Clair, from Juan Diego to Oscar Romero, the saints provide the ideal for us to emulate.
Now, everyone who dies ascends to the Cloud of Witnesses. Everyone in heaven is a saint from St. Ruth DeCristofaro (1932-2012) to St. Alexander B. Costea, Jr. (1927-1985), from St. Dorothy Downes (1930-2016) to St. Joseph DeCristofaro (1956-2015). However, we are not in heaven checking to see who checks in. So, we have All Souls Day. Unlike All Saints' Day, All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation. This means that Roman Catholics are not expected to attend mass today. On this day the Book of the Dead is opened in churches for people to write the names of the relatives they wish to be remembered. This is our turn to prayer for all the souls of the faithfully departed. Even those who are doing in “eon in purgatory standing on their head” need our prayers for a speedy ascent into the heavenly host.
Action
Whose names are written in your Book of the Dead? Make a book and list their names so you can use the entire month of November to pray for their souls.
No comments:
Post a Comment