First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about aas sparks through stubble; they shall judge nations and rule over peoples, and the Lord shall be their King forever. Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.

Gospel: John 6:37-40

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.”

Today, Sunday, November 2nd, is All Souls Day. It is the day set aside to pray for our loved ones who have gone before us in the faith. But, really, it is a day to pray for all souls, as the day suggests, even especially for those who did not know Jesus during their pilgrimage on earth. The Church does not consider them automatically lost, since the Scriptures tell us that “the demands of the law are written in their hearts” (Rm 2:15), and it is the faith of the Church that if a person who never heard of Jesus through no fault of their own, or perhaps, was given a bad example of Jesus through those who claim Him, but nevertheless followed the law of God written on their heart, then they, too, can be saved. But, like all people, they are saved through Jesus, since God wrote that law on their hearts.

According to the Catholic Church, all those baptized in Christ are saints of God. The Church traditionally holds to three “communions” of saints that, together, make up the one “Communion of Saints”: The Saints Glorious, who are those who have already risen to glory in Christ; The Saints Suffering, who are those in purgatory, being prepared by God for entry into glory, but who are undergoing a purging that can be a suffering; The Saints Militant, those of us still on earth fighting the good fight, running the race, working out our salvation in fear and trembling. It is the faith of the Church that the veil that separates these differing “communions” of saints is a delusion, and we all remain one together as the Body of Christ. Therefore, there is no reason the Saints Glorious cannot pray for us, as they are even now participating in the promise of Jesus that those who believe in Him will never die. Those among the Saints Suffering cannot pray for us, for they are in the process of being purged. But we can pray for them, that their sufferings end soon and they presently enter the fullness of the kingdom. And, of course, the Saints Militant can, and should, be praying for each other, praying for the souls in purgatory, and beseeching the prayers of our confreres in glory, that they will take our concerns before Christ and intercede for us.

Here are some Scriptural references from my book, “Thy Word: An Introduction to the Bible for People in the Pews” in support of our faith in the Communion of Saints:

COMMUNION OF SAINTS Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 61, 946-962, 2683

The saints in heaven and the saints on Earth remain one family in Christ

         Matthew 22:32; Luke 9:30-31; Luke 15:7, 10; Luke 20:38

Death does not separate us from the Body of Christ

         Romans 8:35-39; Colossians 1:18; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 3:1-2; Revelation 20:6

The followers of Christ on Earth are holy ones of God

         Acts 9:13, 32, 41; Romans 8:27; 1 Corinthians 6:1-2; Philemon 4-5, 7; Hebrews 13:24; Jude 3

Those who have gone before us in faith are holy ones of God

         Matthew 27:52; Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3-4; Revelation 11:16-18; Revelation 19:5-8

Honor is given to the holy ones of God who have gone before us in faith; they are models of faith and virtue

         Genesis 18:1-3; Genesis 19:1-2; 1 Samuel 28:14; Sirach 44:1-5; Romans 13:7; Hebrews 6:12;

Hebrews 13:7; James 5:10-11

The holy ones in heaven are aware of and concerned for their brothers and sisters on Earth

         2 Maccabees 15:12-16; Luke 15:7, 10; Hebrews 12:1                  

As members of the Body of Christ, we are called to pray for each other

         Romans 15:30-33; Ephesians 6:18-20; Colossians 4:2-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:25;

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 1 Timothy 2:1-5

The prayers of the righteous are powerful

         James 5:16-18

The holy ones in heaven pray for us

         Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3-4

It is clear from these passages in Revelation that the holy ones in heaven do pray, though it does not specify for whom or what they are praying.  Nevertheless, given that they no longer are in need of prayers, and given that it has been shown that the holy ones in heaven are aware of and concerned for their brothers and sisters on Earth, and given that all members of the Body of Christ are called to pray for each other, it is reasonable to conclude that they are praying for the holy ones still on Earth.

Here are some Scriptures that the Church turns to as a foundation for the doctrine of purgatory and praying for the dead, also from my book:

Prayers for the dead CCC: 958, 1032

         2 Maccabees 12:38-46; 2 Timothy 1:16-18

Purgatory CCC: 1030-1032

         2 Maccabees 12:38-46; Wisdom 3:1-9; Sirach 7:32-33; Zechariah 13:7-9; Malachi 3:2-3;

Matthew 5:23-26; Matthew 12:32; Luke 12:58-59; Luke 16:19-31; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Philippians 3:11-12; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Hebrews 12:29; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:6;

Revelation 3:18-19; Revelation 20:11-13; Revelation 21:27

It is a tradition among Catholic families to list their loved ones who have died in a Book of the Dead at the parish, or in a prominent place in the home, or both, as a way to remember them and to remember to pray for them.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.