Homily: All Saints Day
Homily: All Saints Day (Mt. 5:1-12) “Unending Love”
The final sentence in the Apostle’s Creed says, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting, Amen.” We reflect on the communion of Saints. What does that mean for a Catholic?
The Communion of Saints is the belief that we the living members of the church are always connected to those who have died and gone before us. When a loved one dies our relationship with them doesn’t end. No, it continues.
A saint, of course, is a person who has died and who we believe to be in heaven. Many times, the church affirms this fact through the canonization process. We may all have our favorite saints. We may ask these patron saints to pray for us. But anyone who is in heaven is a saint, the church cannot possibly canonize them all. Everyone has known good holy people in our life who we believe are united with God in heaven.
How do we know? For believers in the afterlife this is a very relevant topic. Just Google “after death communication.” All kinds of testimonies will pop up of people who have sensed communications from deceased loved ones. Research has shown that at least 20 percent of people have had such experiences. I have had numerous people tell me of reassuring signs they believe they have received from their dead loved ones. If the person who has died, has been a virtuous person their whole life this is especially the case.
What are some of these experiences like? For some people it is just a feeling that the person is present in a certain place with them. Others hear the voice of their loved ones uttering a message of reassurance. Still others might see an animal or a bird on the day of funeral that the dead person always enjoyed, a cardinal, a deer for example. Other people might feel someone physically touch them when they are praying or reflecting alone. The appearance of a rainbow at the time of death has often been a sign for grieving people. Rainbows are said to be signs of hope. There are many other experiences that people point to, from mysterious phone calls to dreams.
Are these incidents coincidental, perhaps. But if people have such a moment, it is very reassuring. Can all the people who have had such occurrences in their life be wrong?
Our faith tells us that the dead are still a part of our lives. Our faith says that there is life after death. We believe that if people live a good life they will never die.
We remember on this holy day that death and fear are not always synonymous. The dead we recall fondly today are our friends and relatives. We have felt their love while they lived. If God is eternal, love is eternal. The love of a dear one never fades away but remains. It is alive, it is real, it never fades. And that is what we commemorate today.
Reflection Questions:
1. Have I ever had an after-death experience? What was it like?
2. Do I believe my relationship with loved ones continues after death? What might that be like?
Dear Parishioners,
Tomorrow is All Souls Day. We will have envelopes available if you would like to have Masses said. We will leave these envelopes out over the weekend. You can have a Mass said for all the faithful departed or you may have then said for a specific person. Just put the name and stipend in the envelopes provided or take a plain white envelope and write All Souls on it and drop it in the collection.
This is a wonderful way of commemorating a deceased loved one. If you have a specific date you want to arrange for a Mass contact Melissa Hoffman at our office.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for us.
Fr. Mark