ALL SOULS

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

Click to go to << All Souls Day 2008 >>

“For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." We can identify two teachings here. The first is that God wants all of us to have eternal life. He wants all of his children to go to heaven. That’s why he sent Jesus. The second is about the Last Day. The Last Day is the end of time, the second coming of Christ, the end of the world. The end of the world is usually translated as “paggunaw sa mundo”. But this is a wrong translation because if you translate it back into English, it will be “destruction of the world”. But the end of the world is not about destruction but about transformation. This transformation is similar to the transformation that happened to the body of Jesus at the Resurrection. On the Last Day our bodies will be raised up, that is, transformed like the body of Jesus. Not only our bodies but everything that God created.

Today, November 2, is All Souls Day. Today we remember our beloved dead. We pray for them so that, if they are still in purgatory, they may soon enter heaven. Yesterday, November 1, was All Saints Day. We remember also the dead but the dead who are already in heaven. Because they are already in heaven, we do not pray for them. They no longer need our prayers. Instead, what we do is to honor them as Christians heroes in the same way that we honor our national heroes.

Behind the celebration of All Souls Day are several related teachings. There is an after-life. In the after-life, there is reward and punishment. There is heaven, hell and purgatory.

We should not think of purgatory as a prison sentence. When we pray for the souls in the purgatory, it is not to shorten that prison sentence. Purgatory comes from the Latin word that means “to purge”, that is to remove everything that is undesirable in a good Christian. Therefore, if we fail to on earth to remove unchristian qualities, we will have to remove them in the next life in purgatory. Purgatory should be seen as a sign of God’s love because God is giving us a second chance to make it to heaven. It is like a re-valida. If you fail in the finals, the teacher gives you a re-test so that you will not get a 5 in your subject.

In the Creed, we profess in our faith in the communion of Saints. Communion of Saints means that those who are still on earth can do something for those in purgatory. Thus, we pray for our beloved dead who might still be in purgatory. How do we know if they are in purgatory? We cannot know. That’s why we pray for their soul, just in case. Communion of Saints also means that those in heaven and in purgatory can do something for us who are still in this life. Thus, St. Anthony who is already in heaven can pray for our intention when we ask his help in finding lost things. Thus, we can also ask anyone of our family, relatives and friends who might be in purgatory or in heaven also to pray for us.

All Souls Day is on November 2. Why is it that in the Philippines we go to the cemeteries on November 1 which is All Saints Day? Is there some mistake? Actually in the evening of November 1 we are already celebrating the vigil of All Souls Day. It’s like Christmas. Christmas is on December 25, yet we can already celebrate the Mass of Christmas on the evening of December 24, the vigil of Christmas.

For us Filipinos, Undas is an expression of strong family ties. It is a family reunion in which the dead are also included! And just like any get-together there is eating and talking. It is a good thing that hard drinks are forbidden as they often lead to trouble in cemeteries. One thing that we should not forget is to pray for the dead. And this is what makes this family reunion different. You may want to pray the Rosary. You can also find other kinds of prayers for the dead in the internet.

For us who are still alive, Undas should also make us think of our own death. You should tell your family whether you want to be buried or cremated and where you want to be buried. You should also ask these hard questions: Am I ready to die? Am I ready to face the judgment seat of God? What have I done with my life? Are there things that I want to do before I die? Are there things that I need to set right? Do I still have unfinished business? And for parents. Make your last will so that your children will not fight over their inheritance.

All Souls Day then is a time to remember our beloved dead and all the souls in purgatory. But it is also a time for us to remember that one day we too shall die. How are we to be prepared for it?