November 2
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
All Souls’ Day

Already back in the 2nd century, evidence exists that Christians prayed for and celebrated the Eucharist for their beloved dead. In the beginning, they would pray on the third day after burial, then on the anniversary. Later, the 7th and 30th day after death became days on which it became customary to pray for the deceased. Remembering the dead on the 2 November became official in the year 998 when Abbot Odilo of Cluny (994-1048) made it obligatory in all the monasteries subject to him. In 1915, Pope Benedict XV granted permission to priests to celebrate several Masses on this day. The liturgy proposes various Masses on this day, all of which are geared toward highlighting the Paschal Mystery, Jesus’ victory over sin and death.

From the Gospel according to John

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.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day”. (Jn. 6:37-40)

The will of God

The revolutionary message is that whoever “sees the Son and believes in him…I shall raise him on the last day”. We know from experience that the body decays. But the body is not the only part of the human person! The human being is a person and partner in dialogue with God. And He will not forget on, He will not renege on His promise, because God is faithful to His promises. God has written each one of us on the palm of His hand and will not forget anyone, because He is a Father. This is the heart of the message that Jesus left us. Because of this truth, Jesus became man, he died on the cross and rose to make us participants in the joy of the resurrection: “Grant them, O Lord, we pray, and all who sleep in Christ, a place of refreshment, light and peace”, we pray during the I Eucharistic Canon of the Mass, at the moment when we remember the deceased.

Allowing ourselves to be taken by surprise

That we will survive is a sure thing, Jesus told us this! How this will happen, we do not know. We can hypothesize about it by listening to the Word of the Gospel. The hope remains, however, of being surprised by God’s goodness, by His mercy. We have our own parameters by which to measure what happens in life, but we must allow God to have His own parameters which are not ours. This is exactly what will surprise us once we cross the threshold of heaven.

A step ahead

Death is not an annihilation, but of living in a new way. It is knowing that those who have preceded us are a “step ahead” of us on the path of life. They have reached the top, while we still find ourselves on the path of life. They have turned the corner, while we are still on the straight and narrow. Death, therefore, is not the end of everything, but the beginning of a new life for which we are and have been preparing ourselves for quite some time. Commemorating the dead, then, is not only a “remembrance” of those who are no longer present, but a bridge that awaits us at the end of our lives and that will lead us to the other shore to which we are all destined. It’s a help so we do not let ourselves drown when life is overwhelming, forgetting that everything passes, while only God remains.

Sister death

After having reconciled himself with God, with himself and with creation, Saint Francis of Assisi, toward the end of his life, was able to reconcile himself with death to the point that he was able to call her his “sister”. This symbolizes that even he understood that death is a mystery to embrace. Unlike today’s culture that tries to deny death in every way through the illusion that we are eternal, Saint Francis teaches to look on it, to understand it and to consider it as a “sister”, as part of us. After all, death is just as real as the fact that we exist. This is a step toward intellectual honesty, even more so than a spiritual movement. Fear of “sister death” is certainly dictated by fear of the unknown, of not knowing what lies beyond the “veil”. This creates a certain discomfort. Secondly, let’s not deny it, we fear the “weight” of our actions at the end of our lives when everyone is a believer. We will all ask ourselves then how we have lived our lives. This experience leads us to pray for those who have gone before us, almost as if we still want to help and protect them, as well as asking for their help and protection.

One thing is certain: we need to understand death in the light of Jesus’ resurrection. This is where our strength and serenity come from. He opened the Way that leads through Truth to Life. Jesus Himself reminded us that have been made for eternity. A thousand years are as a day gone by for God. A lifetime is extremely brief, fleeting. It has no sense if it is not directed toward an experience that is truer. As Jesus Himself reminded us: “everyone who sees the Son and believes in him has eternal life”.
One last thing. Jesus became man to help us live “for God”. He died, was buried and descended to the dead so that no one might feel excluded from His salvific work. Jesus Himself chose to “dwell in” every place, even the most infamous, to keep me company in every moment so that I might not be afraid or feel alone and abandoned at the mercy of my fear. There is “nowhere” in life or in death that He has not already “visited”. This is what gives me the certainty that He will welcome me with open arms in whatever situation I “fall into”: whether today when I fall into sin, whether tomorrow when I fall into death, He is there. For He has conquered sin and death and has prepared a place for me in His Father’s House. This is enough for me to journey on with trust and hope along the path of life. “Even though I should walk through the valley of death” (Ps 23), He is there. He is with me.

Prayer

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

TEACH US, O LORD, TO COUNT OUR DAYS
by Fernando Armellini

We leave the maternal womb and enter into this world; after childhood we enter adolescence; we leave adolescence for youth; youth to mature age and old age. Finally, the time comes to leave this world to which we have grown fond of perhaps to the point of deeming it to be the final abode and not wanting anymore to leave it. Yet on this earth our aspiration to the fullness of joy and life is continually frustrated.

When, with disenchantment, we consider the reality, we check everywhere for signs of death: diseases, ignorance, loneliness, frailty, fatigue, pain, betrayals—and our conclusion is: no, this cannot be the definitive world; it is too narrow, too marked by evil. Then the desire to roam beyond the narrow horizon wherein we move emerges in us; we even dream of being abducted to other planets where maybe we are freed from any form of death.

In the universe we know, the world to which we long for does not exist. To satisfy the need for the infinite that God has put in our heart, it is necessary to leave this land and embark on a new exodus. We are asked for a new exit, the last—death—and this frightens us.

Even the three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration, they heard Jesus who spoke of his exodus from this world to the Father (Lk 9:31). They were seized by fear. “They fell with their faces to the ground, and were so afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, and said, arise and be not afraid” (Mt 17:6-7).

From the third century there appears, in the catacombs, the figure of the shepherd with the sheep on his shoulder. It is Christ, who takes by hand and cradles in his arms the person who is afraid to cross alone the dark valley of the death. With him, the Risen One, the disciples serenely abandon this life, confident that the shepherd to whom they have entrusted their life will lead them towards lush meadows and quiet streams (Ps 23:2) where they will find refreshment after a long tiring journey in the desert of this dry and dusty earth.

If death is the moment of encounter with Christ and an entry into the wedding banquet hall, it cannot be a dreaded event. It is something we expect. The exclamation of Paul: “For me, dying is a gain. I desire greatly to leave this life and to be with Christ” (Phil 1:21,23) should be uttered by every believer.

To interiorize the message, we repeat:
“Teach us, O Lord, to count our days.”

Gospel: John 6:37-40

What is a person’s value? Does he count only for what he produces, for his efficiency, for the money that he accumulates?

For someone a human being is less worthy than a sheep—said Jesus (Mt 12:12). He comes from dust (Sir 33:10), he can’t boast of anything before the Lord (1 Cor 1:29), but he is always the image of God. Filled with surprise in front of the wonders of creation, a pious Israelite with the heart of a poet has handed his reflection in a psalm: “When I observe the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars you set in their place—what is man that you be mindful of him; the son of man that you should care for him? Yet you made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps 8:4-6).

We define man from the bottom: reasonable animal, a step above the animals; the psalmist sees him a step below of God. It is in this biblical perspective that man and his destiny is evaluated. How does man appear before God? In what regard does he hold him? Here’s the answer that he directs to everyone: “You are precious in my sight, and important—for I have loved you” (Is 43:4). It is from this statement that we may understand what God has planned for his wonderful creature, man.

In today’s Gospel passage, his plan, his design of love is called by Jesus the will of the Father and he will insist on this will, recalling it four times. Which is it? To trust the whole of humanity to him, to his care. This will draw close to him, as the flock turns to its own shepherd: each sheep knows his voice, trusts him and feels called by name. Jesus does not lay down conditions to obtain salvation; he only ascertains a fact: the fate of the entire human community is to go to him. To go to him means accepting his word, to trust his proposal of life. None of those who will rely on him will be rejected (v. 37).

This is the dream that God has in mind since the creation of the world. The question spontaneously arises: will it be realized, or will there be someone that will be directed toward Jesus and some other instead—the majority judging from what has occurred so far in the world—who will reject Christ and his word, and will move away permanently from him?

The answer is contained in the second part of the passage: “And the will of him who sent me is that I lose nothing of what he has given me, but instead that I raise it up on the last day” (v. 39) . In God’s plan defections or failures are not contemplated. His program will take place infallibly because it is unthinkable that Christ is not able to bring it to fruition. Without doing violence to the freedom of man, he will draw all people to himself, in an irresistible way; he will raise everyone on the last day. This expression has been mistakenly understood as a reference to the end of the world.

In John’s Gospel the last day is one in which Jesus, on the cross, bowed his head, giving to humanity his Spirit (Jn 19:30). That is the last day to which the entire plan of God aimed, unending day, day in which the seed of new life, the very life of God entered the world.

With a final appeal to the Father’s will (v. 40) Jesus explains that God’s plan is realized in three stages.

It is necessary, above all, to see the Son.

The memory of the encounter with Jesus of Nazareth remained indelible in the mind, heart, and also in the eyes of John, as it transpires from the first words of the letter that he writes to the Christians of his communities of Asia Minor: “What we have heard and have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, I mean the Word who is Life…The Life was made known, we have seen Eternal Life and we bear witness, and we are telling you of it. It was with the Father and made himself known to us. So we tell you what we have seen and heard” (1 Jn 1:1-3).

This visual experience of the man Jesus is no longer possible; it is realized in a unique moment of the world’s history. But letting our eyes be opened by his word and acknowledging in him the Son, the God who made himself present in the world, who came to bring us the bread of life, is the first step to enable us to accept his gift. After this recognition, personal adhesion follows. It is not enough to know Jesus, having seen him. Many have met him along the roads of Palestine, yet not everyone got drawn by his proposal.

The second step is to believe.

Only one who after knowing him on the testimony of those who saw and heard him, and giving him one’s own adhesion, really sees Jesus. The culmination of the path to salvation is the communication by the Father of the divine life to those who believe in Christ.

Gathered in community, today we do not remember the dead—for a Christian the dead do not exist because those who believe in Jesus do not die (Jn 11:26) —but the living, all the brethren who, having ended their gestation in this world, entered in the light, being born to the definitive life from which every form of darkness and death is excluded.

In this world, many of them might have struggled to “see” in Jesus the Son of God and to “believe” in him. Some have given their commitment to him at the last moment; others did not want to “see him” or welcome him for all their life. What will be their fate and how can we be close to them and show them our love? At the time of their birth to new life, all were certainly welcomed by the Father with the only words that he addresses to every person who, though a sinner, is his son or daughter: “Since you are precious in my sight, and important—for I have loved you” (Is 43:4).

Our prayer, our love and maybe even our forgiveness help them to complete the journey that they did not finish in this life towards the definitive embrace with the Father. The joyful message that the first mass’ readings give us is that Jesus will not leave incomplete his mission as Savior for no one.

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A Patron-Feast for all of us
November 1-2

The Feast of All Saints, that we are celebrating today, reminds us that the goal of our existence is not death, it is Paradise!
This is what we hope-for and ask of the Lord, also for our deceased brothers and sisters.
With her wisdom the Church has placed the Feast of All Saints and All Souls’ Day near each other.
Today, through this feast, the Saints give us a message. They tell us: trust in the Lord, because the Lord does not disappoint! He never disappoints, he is a good friend always at our side
Today is a Patron-Feast for all of us; so we are glad and we may greet one another…

Homily

The goal of our existence is not death, it is Paradise! Let us make a short meditation on this beautiful goal of our life, following some reflections of Pope Francis.
The Saints are the friends of God. During their earthly existence they lived in profound communion with God.

The Saints are not supermen, nor were they born perfect. They are like each one of us. They are people who, before reaching the glory of heaven, lived normal lives with joys and sorrows, struggles and hopes.

What changed their lives? When they recognized God’s love, they followed it with all their heart without reserve or hypocrisy. They spent their lives serving others, they endured suffering and adversity without hatred and responded to evil with good, spreading joy and peace.

This is the life of a Saint. Never hate but serve others, the most needy; pray and live in joy. This is also our way to holiness!

Being holy is not a privilege for the few; in Baptism we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit to be able to become saints. Holiness is a vocation for everyone. Jesus Christ teaches us to become saints. In the Gospel he shows us the way, the way of the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:1-12).

In fact, the Kingdom of Heaven is for those who do not place their security in material things but in love for God; for those who have a simple, humble, pure heart that does not presume to be just and does not judge others; for those who know how to suffer with those who suffer and how to rejoice when others rejoice. They are not violent but merciful and strive to be instruments for reconciliation and peace. Saints, both men and women, are instruments for reconciliation and peace; they are always helping people to become reconciled and helping to bring about peace. Thus holiness is beautiful, it is a beautiful path!

Through their witness the Saints encourage us to not be afraid of going against the temptations of evil. By their life they show us that he who stays faithful to God and to his Word, experiences the comfort of his love on this earth and in eternity.

This is what we hope-for and ask of the Lord, for our deceased brothers and sisters. That our prayer of praise to God and veneration of the blessed spirits may help the souls of those who have preceded us in the passage from this world to eternal life.

The feast of All Saints and the commemoration of All Souls of our departed brothers and sisters remind us that we are all members of a big Family, spread all over the world. So, today is a Feast of Family, a Feast of brotherhood! Our celebration today and tomorrow (November 1st and 2nd) is like a big family’s celebration. It is our celebration as members of God’s Family. The family of all the Saints: not only of the few Saints officially recognised by the Church, but also of every person of goodwill, those who look for God with sincere heart and respect the neighbours.. It is the family of all the departed brothers and sisters, not only of our relatives and friends… We are a part of an immense family of women and men from every race, tongue, colour, religion, age, culture, job and activity, social condition… (1st Reading);

This is our enlarged family, a family of universal dimensions, without borders. Where nobody is unknown or stranger for God and for those who live in Him. Where God calls everyone by name. In this immense family, a new brotherhood exists for the benefit of all: the Saints in heaven intercede before God for us;
we give praise and thanks to God for His mercy;
together with the Saints we offer petitions for the departed Souls who are waiting for contemplating God fully, face to face (2nd Reading);
the Souls, in a way we ignore, live in a special communion with God and intercede for us. Over all, Jesus (cf Rm 8:34) and the Holy Spirit (cf Rm 8:26) are the most important intercessors for the Church and all the members of humankind. This is the beauty and the strength of the Communion of Saints, which we profess in the Creed.

In this light, we may live a special communion with our ancestors: both our ethnic ancestors and the Saints. In fact, the Saints are our ancestors in the Christian faith, the spiritual giants and performed models as disciples of Jesus.

Among all the Saints there is a common ground: love; love is the common root of all holiness. Let us remember the word of Jesus in the Gospel of last Sunday: Love sums up the whole of the Law (v.40). You must love the Lord your God with all your heart (Dt. 6:5) and you must love your neighbour as yourself (Lv. 19:18). For Jesus the two commandments are similar (vv. 37,39), like two branches of the one plant, which have a common root and the same sap: love. All the Saints became models in loving God and one another. This the way for us to become saints. One example of full love from this land, Vietnam, is the Servant of God, Card. Van Thuan. He has been in a strict prison during 13 years and he wrote about his experience: “I wil not wait. I will live the present moment, filling it to the brim with love. Live the present moment with love: this a secret and a way to holiness.

Thinking of the death, as we know, the Christian faith is the only light to understand better the meaning of life, of sorrow, of history, of death itself… This light makes the difference. Other human religions can not give this light. Once again we see the newness and value of Christian message; and, consequently, the urgency of Mission.

Let us entrust our prayers to the intercession of Mary, Queen of All Saints.

Fr. Romeo Ballan mccj