All Souls

2 Maccabees 12:42-45
Psalm 62(63):2-6,8-9
Philippians 3:20-21
Luke 7:11-17

The souls of the faithful are in the hands of God.

Today is All Souls’ Day, when we remember the faithful departed, especially those in purgatory, asking Christ to purify and bring their souls to heaven. We reflect on Christian hope: trusting in a known God for an unknown future.

Hope whispers to persevere despite adversity, and where hope is, faith and love flourish. With God, we have hope, knowing He won’t abandon us but keeps us safe. The book of Wisdom says, “But the souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment of death will touch them” (Wisdom 3:1). We often worry more about our physical bodies than our souls, which are immortal and sometimes spiritualize things, St. Thomas Aquinas mentions that the soul is the first principle of a living thing. God breathed life into us.

We are made in his image and likeness. We have something above animals. Something of God. A divine principle. We have the ability to pray and capacity to rationalize. This intelligibility in us to comprehend quotations, imagery and formulations. So we need not fear but have hope in God who gave us life in order to do good and right things and to love him and serve him all our days.

Do you have excessive fears? Could it be a lack of trust in God? Let us thank God for His loving care. May God, our soul’s Shepherd, watch over and bless us. Forgive us for fears and doubts. Grant us grace to care responsibly for what God has entrusted us. May we remain in Christ’s fold, responsible and faithful. May Mary, Mother of God, pray for you. God wants the best for us and will provide beyond our imagining. Light a candle and pray for the souls in purgatory and our loved ones. May all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

Fr Joseph Osho