Today is the Feast of All Souls, the day we remember all of those on their way to heaven. Those who have gone on before us, those we’ve lost recently or in years past. We pray for them and honor them in hopes that they will be face-to-face with God in the beatific vision. There are many reading options for today, but the one we used for the second reading hit me pretty hard. Enough that I felt like I was going to choke up. Particularly this line: “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5). We had just been singing Psalm 23, the first Psalm I memorized as a young man. The Lord is my shepherd. All of that culminates in the Gospel proclaiming from John Chapter 6, the bread of life discourse. Reminding us that: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” It was an emotional Mass, which I think is how every Mass should be!
How powerful a reminder the Scriptures through the Church have given us that we always need hope. That Confession is a place of victory where we know God will always be faithful and will never give up on us. That even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful. He never gives up on us. Never give up hope! Never stop coming to the seat of Mercy. Jesus promised His Apostles that the sins they forgive are forgiven! How comforting to know that this Apostolic Authority is still present in His church today.
Then I heard this song, “Don’t give up on me yet,” on the way home. Have hope! God has not given up, and He never will. It is our choice to work with that grace to grow to where we are supposed to be. The last few days, I’ve been reading the lives of some heavy-hitting Saints. Saint Anne Catherine Emmerich, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, and a new book on Saint Francis of Assisi. Their lives remind me how far I’ve got to go. This song reminds me of Psalm 51. That Psalm breaks me sometimes when I read it in the Divine Office. On this All Souls Day, let us have hope. Let us pray for all those who need God’s mercy and cleansing. May your heart be filled with the hope and joy that God has for you, and may the peace that surpasses all understanding fill your heart.
God bless you, my dearly beloved,
Deacon Brian