Yesterday, we celebrated the joy of All Saints—the Church triumphant, our brothers and sisters who now share in the glory of heaven. Today, our hearts turn with tenderness to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. These two days are closely linked, like joy and sorrow held together in Christ. The saints remind us of our destiny, and the departed invite us to remember with love, to pray with hope, and to walk with faith.
The liturgy today places before us two truths: God’s mercy and our responsibility. In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear of the Last Judgement: the Son of Man separating sheep from goats, blessing those who served the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned. This is the heart of Christian life—faith in Christ expressed in love for our neighbour.
Remember that the mystery of the Church is that salvation is always a gift from God. We are justified not by our own efforts but through grace—a grace freely offered by God, who always initiates. Faith is a gift to be received. However, like any gift, it requires a response. God’s grace produces fruit only when we open our hearts to Him.
Today, as we pray for the souls of the departed, we are reminded of the great mystery of the communion of saints. The Church teaches us that there are three dimensions of this communion: the Church triumphant in heaven, the Church suffering in purgatory, and the Church pilgrim on earth. Visiting cemeteries, offering Masses, and remembering the dead are not acts of sorrow alone but of hope—hope rooted in the conviction that death does not have the last word.
This communion also reminds us of responsibility. What we do on earth echoes in eternity. Our choices, our actions, our capacity to love or to withhold love—these matter. As Jesus teaches, it is not enough to avoid doing harm; we are called to do good, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to comfort the afflicted.
But here we face the temptation of selfishness and pride, which close our eyes and harden our hearts. They make us blind to the needs of those around us. To live well is to see—not only ourselves, but also those who suffer nearby. Faith opens our eyes, softens our hearts, and gives us the courage to act with generosity.
Today, as we pray for the faithful departed, we also reflect on our own path. The Last Judgement should not frighten us; rather, it should encourage us to live the present with faith, mercy, and love. God’s grace always comes first—salvation is His gift. But He asks us to respond, to make our lives a witness of love.
May the Lord, at the end of our days, recognise us as good and faithful servants. May Our Lady, the Gate of Heaven, accompany us on our journey, so that one day we may rejoice with the saints, united with all the faithful departed in God’s eternal embrace.
men.
Father Josekutty Mathew CMF
