ALL SOULS DAY

For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.

Jn 6:37-40

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you seen one?

When I was still in the seminary, our Rector recounted this unusual incident. He said it happened in the morning. While he was in his room, preparing to teach, he saw his friend sitting quietly on his bed. And this friend of his was already dead. He said nothing. He soon quietly disappeared. Later our Rector said that he celebrated Mass for the repose of the soul of his friend.

God is merciful. He wants all men to be saved. But we also know that we are sinners. We know we are weak. And therefore, purgatory is a real possibility for us. For this reason we pray for the dead. And today Holy Mother Church invites all of us to pray not just for our beloved dead but for all the dead. Some of them might have been forgotten so that no one prays for them. At least today these forgotten souls will be remembered.

If we are able to help those who are in purgatory, it is because of the communion of saints. Every Sunday we profess our belief in the communion of saints when we recite the creed. What is the communion of saints all about? In simple terms it means that there is a next life and we do not lose our connection with those who have gone to that next life so much so that our prayers can help them leave purgatory and enter heaven.

Once I was asked to bless a house. When I asked why, they said that their mother who had just died was ‘nagpaparamdam’. And so I said to them: “Do you know what are asking me to do? You are asking me to drive your mother away. Why do you want to drive your mother away? Do you hate her?” They replied, “No.” So I said: “Next time she makes her presence felt, talk to her.”

Why are we scared of the dead? Because we watch horror movies and so we think that the dead are as scary as they are presented in those movies. But in fact, those who have seen their beloved dead say that they are not scary at all. And if you did not know they are already dead, you would think they are still alive. A classmate of mine said that when his father died, his father showed himself to a friend who still did not know that he had died. This friend greeted him warmly. It was only later in the day that he was informed that his friend had died.

If the dead show themselves or make their presence felt, it is because God allowed them to do so. It is also because of the communion of saints. We do not lose our connection with those who have died. That is why they can show themselves to us or make their presence felt.

When you lose something, to whom do we pray? St. Anthony. When someone is having a difficult pregnancy or if there is difficulty in conceving a baby, to whom do we pray? St. Dominic Savio. If we are in a hopeless situation, to whom do we pray? St. Jude.

This is another illustration of the communion of saints. It means those who are in heaven can help us. When we pray to the Saints, we are actually asking them to pray for us.

If we can pray to the Saints, we can also pray to our beloved dead. If our beloved dead are already in heaven, then they are saints (with small letter “s”). The only difference between them (saints with small “s”) and the Saints like St. Anthony (Saints with capital “S”) is that the latter were canonized or publicly recognized by the church. But once you are in heaven, being a saint with a small “s” and being a Saint with a big “S” does not really matter. Saint Anthony will not go to our beloved dead and say: “I’m superior to you because I have a big “S” while you only have a small “s”.”

On this commemoration of All Saints, let us pray FOR our beloved dead in case they need our prayers. Let us also pray TO our beloved dead in case they are already in heaven.