Blessed is the Peaceful in the Lord (All Saints Day); To be Purified and be Blessed (All Souls Day)

 

                    Blessed is the Peaceful in the Lord

                                            All Saints Day

 

Apo 7:2-4,9-14; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a (Nov. 1/ B)

“The saints will dwell in the kingdom of heaven; their peace will last forever, alleluia” (Divine Office)

 

 

Each year, we commemorate the prayer life, witness, and exemplary life of the saints chosen by the Holy Mother Church. These saints serve as more than just examples. They are our family members with whom we remain connected in a spiritual tie known as the Communion of Saints. The beatitudes in today’s gospel remind us of Jesus’ teachings on happiness. In this reading, we rapidly observe that none of the people Jesus refers to as “blessed” or “happy”—the gentle, the oppressed, and the impoverished in spirit—were not the same when they lived in the world. St Paul says that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God” (1 Cor. 3:19). Little of what the world might consider happiness or wise is not blessed in Jesus’ model for happiness.

 

When Jesus uses the term “blessed,” what does he mean? This term can occasionally be interpreted as “favorable,” “happy,” or “fortunate.” Jesus states that those who suffer from poverty, grief, and persecution are blessed by God.  We should consider the Beatitudes as guidelines for our Christian living. We also proclaim this gospel reading on the feast of All Saints. The saints are those who followed the Beatitudes. They embodied the Beatitudes in the same way that Jesus did. We are also challenged on this day to live our lives according to the Beatitudes' promises and spirit.

 

 

 

To be Purified and be Blessed

All Souls Day

 

Job 19:1,23-27a; 1 Cor 15:51-57; Jn 5:24-29 (B)

“You made me from the clay of the earth; you gave me a body of flesh. Lord, raise me up on the last day” (Divine Office)

 

On the feast of All Souls, we pray for the souls of all those who have died. Today’s Liturgical readings focus on our belief in the resurrection of the dead and eternal life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains: “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, to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned” (1030–31).

 

Saint John of the Cross wrote extensively about the process of purification. He described two main purifications a soul going through on the journey toward perfection. The first is the night of the senses, by which every bodily sense and appetite is purified. The second is the night of the spirit, by which the intellect, memory, and will are fully purified by the perfection of infused faith, hope, and charity. Before the first purification, the soul is in the purgative way. While in between the two purifications, the soul is in the illuminative way. After completing the second purification, the soul enters the unitive way or mystical marriage.

 

As we participate today in this Commemoration of All Souls, let us pray for the dead who require final purification. Purgatory is God’s final mercy for those he loves with a burning and purifying love. Our prayers will open the floodgates of God’s love for them.

 

Jesus is the Resurrection and the life for all those who believe in him. This is the profession of faith we continue to make, and it is the promise on which we base our hope for eternal life for ourselves and for all those who have died. In his death and resurrection, Jesus has conquered death for all those who believe in him. We believe that we continue to share a relationship with those who have died. When we pray for the souls of the faithful departed, we are praying for the souls journeying through purgatory, being prepared for eternal life in heaven. We believe that our prayers for them will help to speed up their journey to eternal life with God in heaven. By this act of charity, we also obtain God’s grace and God will also be glorified.  

 

“My soul is thirsting for the God of my life: when can I enter and see the face of God?” (Divine Office)