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Reflection by Joan Micah– Parishioner – St Brendan’s Lakes Entrance First Reading: From the prophet Isaiah 25:6-9
In the first reading we are reminded of the rich banquet that God has prepared for us, eternal life. He promises us that all tears will be wiped away and that death will be destroyed forever. In the very depths of raw grief, it is often hard to believe and to comprehend. God said that this will be so, so who are we to doubt?
Second Reading: From the letter of St Paul to the Romans 5:5-11
St Paul tells us that ‘hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us’.
Again, we are reminded that Christ died for us though we are sinners.
Yes, you and me. But, having died to make us righteous, we can be assured that we will be saved, that God will show his mercy and love to each of us.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 7:11-17
Yet again, we see Jesus on the move in his ministry. He went to a town called Nain, in the Galilee region, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. There he came across a funeral procession and a widow whose young son had died.
To lose a son to death in this day and age is a tragedy, but, in her time, as the woman was a widow, the loss of her son also meant the loss of protection and income.
Jesus felt sorry for the woman and he showed us yet another miracle. He told the young man to get up and live. This miracle showed the compassion of Jesus. Whilst we often pray for miracles for the healing of loved ones and even ourselves, we can be assured that even if a miracle doesn’t happen, that God will have compassion on our last day.
Therefore, the message today is for all believers in Christ. We are reminded again that Christ died for us. We are all precious in God’s eyes, from the unborn in utero to the very aged.
In many Christian churches in November, there is a display of names of loved ones that we remember and ask prayers for. Research tells us that the practice of remembering and praying in the Mass for Christians who had died was longstanding. The names were recorded on wax tablets held in the church and read out during the Eucharist. As Monasteries spread throughout the world, in the sixth century, they chose special dates to remember the monks who had died. This practice then spread through the Church and eventually was celebrated on 2 November, the day following All Saints Day in the tenth century.
In today’s Church, we place emphasis on God’s unconditional love for us and to trust that it will be more powerful than the sinfulness of those who die. We focus more on the gift that their life has been and on God’s gift of life after death.
All Souls Day is an occasion to pray with those we love who have died. It is a day to recognise that we belong to a Christian community in which those who have died are united with those who live. We pray for those undergoing purification in Purgatory and for those who we hope have been received into heaven. No prayer is ever wasted.
All Souls Day is a day for thanking God for those whom we have loved and joining them in prayer. There can be no better way to honour them and to honour God!
