Homily: All Souls Day
All Souls Day (John 6:37-40) “Salvation as Gift”
We spend a lot of church time deciding who is in and who is out of the Christian community. We also spend a lot of time speculating about who will achieve salvation and who will not. These seem to be two separate questions.
If we want to belong to any organization there are always qualifications that must be met. The group could be a country club or a service organization or the military. I was talking to a woman who is in the army, and she said that the army was having troubles filling its quotas right now. Most people who want to start a military career are unable to do so because they can’t meet the physical requirements. Few of us would question this. Soldiers have to be in good shape.
We have some basic requirements for church membership as well. We ask, for instance, that people take instruction and be baptized. If a person is not baptized it is hard for them to claim to be Christian. Once a person is baptized, they are considered Christian for the rest of their life unless they renounce their baptism in some formal way.
A different question is whether a person is going to achieve salvation or not. This would seem to be the question Jesus is addressing in the Gospel we read for this feast day. Jesus says: “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” Jesus wants everyone to be with him forever in heaven.
Many times, people are troubled when a friend or relative dies because they feel like their loved one might not experience salvation. Perhaps they failed to practice their faith. Those who are faithful Christians who are left behind might be saddened because the person who has died does not seem to care whether they were a church member or not.
When we struggle with a situation like this, we can remember this passage from John. Jesus’ life was all about inclusion, not exclusion. The church strives for inclusion, but sometimes the requirements for belonging frustrate that. Jesus did not seem to struggle with inclusion. We always remember that Jesus came to redeem the world. Our religion can be a wonderful way of growing close to God. It can help us as we strive to achieve salvation, but God makes the final decision about who is saved and God is rich in mercy.
1. Do wonder if someone who has died has been saved? Who is this person and why do I wonder about them?
2. How does my religion help me as I live my life? Is it as valuable as I might hope.
Dear Parishioners,
One of the Catholic customs in regards to the passing of a loved one is that there are days of mourning. These days of mourning were much more formal in former times. I remember older women who lost their husbands, and they would wear black for many months if not years. There was a sense that it was not appropriate to go back to life as usual too soon.
Another aspect of the mourning period was that there would be Requiem Masses the day of the funeral and on the third, seventh and thirtieth day after death. There would also be a Mass on the anniversary of someone’s death for as long as the family wanted. We no longer have such Masses, but we still have the custom of offering Masses for the dead.
Do you want a Mass for a deceased loved one? You can do that by contacting our office or by taking one of the envelopes at the church door right now. You can put the name of the person in the envelope along with your name and phone and a stipend and we will have someone from office will call to arrange a Mass time with you. Celebrating a Mass for a deceased loved one with the parish community can be a very consoling experience.
May our Lady of Sorrows pray for all those who grieve today.
Fr. Mark