All Souls.

Today the Church teaches us some important lessons about life. On this day we are taught that it is a good and holy thing to remember the dead - those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. On this day we are taught that memory is an important aspect of our faith. We remember those loved ones who have died, we speak of them with affection and tell the stories that surround them. We remember what their life meant and means to us. Finally we are taught that death is the gateway to something so awesome and beautiful, that many of us are not ready to gaze on, or feel the gaze of, absolute love. Purgatory removes those things that eclipse this beauty and enable us to be fully alive in God's presence.

On this day, we remember those who are being made ready to see this beauty and feel this love. When we remember them, the apparent distance between us diminishes. St. Augustine puts it beautifully, 'when we remember we make presnet the past.' For many this day is tinged with sadness. For me, it is a day that is full of hope. We live in the promise of eternal life. Today reminds us that the bonds and kinship that we hold dear in life, have a life beyond death. A life more alive than we can ever imagine.

Merciful Father,
hear our prayer and console us.
As we renew our faith in Your Son,
whom You raised from the dead,
strengthen our hope that all our departed brothers and sisters
will share in His resurrection,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen