PRAY 4 THE DEAD

 *Thursday November 2, 2023* 

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (ALL SOULS)



First Reading.  Wisdom 3: 1-9

Psalm. 23: 1-6 (R.1 or 4)

Second Reading.  Romans 5: 5-11

Gospel. Matthew 5: 1-12 or John 6:37-40


TOPIC FOR REFLECTION 


 *LIFE IS TOO SHORT, ONE DAY WE SHALL DIE: PRAY FOR THE DEAD* 

 *(2 Macc. 12)* 


Death and Humanity are never friends, yet she is inevitable. 

Death awaits all of us

Death is a passage to eternity 

Death is not the end, but a means to the end of our mortal life to eternity which is either Heaven or Hell. 

Invariably, death is a transformation. 


Nothing lasts forever. 

No man lives forever 

Today we live, tomorrow we are dead 

The rich and the poor will die, and the earth and all worldly wealth will remain. 


Do we all know that the CASKET is our special room, while Mother Earth, the ground is our BEAUTIFUL MANSION? 

The joyful mystery of life is that we come into the world with nothing, and we shall certainly leave this world with nothing. (Vanity upon vanity, all is vanity-Ecclesiastes 1:2)


We should always remember that every step we take in life draws us close to our grave. 


As we walk with our two legs, every step signers as a reminder that today "am alive, tomorrow I shall die"; "today am alive,  tomorrow I shall die..."

That is...

The right leg step... Today am alive

The left leg step...Tomorrow I shall die


Remember that every second of our life draws us close to our departure date from this world. A day we do not know, are we prepared or getting ready for that D-day? 


One day, a child is born, and one day, the grown-up child will die. 

However, as Christians and especially, Catholics, we have a  great dependable hope that our journey to eternity starts here on earth. 

We begin now to lay the foundation of our beautiful home in heaven. More reason St. Paul told us in today's second reading that Hope does not disappoint us, and that God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 


My dear, if we are in Christ Jesus, we need not be afraid of death because the first reading from the Book of Wisdom made it clear that the souls of the righteous are in the hands of God, and no torment will ever touch them. In the eyes of the foolish, they seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be an affliction, they are going from us to be their destruction, but they are at peace


However, we are made to understand that no stain of sin will enter Heaven, cf.  Rev. 21: 27.

More reason the church in her wisdom composed in our Apostle's Creed of the second clause in the ninth article, 

"... I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints..."


This signifies that the Catholic church is 

***HOLY. Cf. Isa. 62: 12

***CATHOLIC. Cf. Matt 28: 18-20; Acts 1:8; Acts 10: 34-35

***COMMUNION OF SAINTS. Cf. Phil. 2: 1-2.

So it is because the Catholic Church participates in the same Spirit, affection, and sympathy with complete joy by agreeing that she declared the three categories of the Church. 

--The Triumphant Church (Saints in Heaven, they are celebrated on November 1st of every year)

--The Suffering Church (The Souls in Purgatory, cf.  Matthew 12:32; 

2 Maccabees 12:41-45; CCC 1030

--The Militants Church (those of us still on earth).


Therefore, the Communion of Saints is interconnected such that: 

The Church Triumphant prays for the Militant Church, while the militant Church prays for the suffering Church in purgatory. 


Souls in purgatory are already "saints" only waiting to behold God face-to-face 


The Second Council of Lyon in 1274 confirmed it when the Catholic Church defined, for the first time, it is teaching on purgatory, in two points: 

Some Souls are purified after death; such souls benefit from the prayers and pious duties that the living (militant church) do for them.


Therefore, in conclusion, let us not stop praying for our dead family, relatives, and friends. 


It is out of love for our dead relatives that we often say that One day, we shall meet at the feet of Jesus to part no more. So, how do we justify this wish if love is absent? 


Please,  let us continue to pray for the dead, one day we too shall die, and we will want others to pray for us.

Let us continue to pray for the dead, when they get to heaven, they shall pray for us in return. 


May the souls of our departed parents, relatives, friends and all the faithful departed continue to rest in peace. 


 *Peace ✌️ be with you.* 


 *Rev. Fr. Segun Oladeji, CRS.*

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