REFLECTION FOR TODAY,
November 2, 2020
By Fr. Andrew Ibegbulem, OSA
Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. Jn.6:37-38
On All Souls’ Day, we pray for those who have gone before us and acknowledge our own mortality, our own weakness, and our own need for a Savior. Jesus explains that the Father wills the salvation of all and has sent him so that all might believe and be save. He tells us today that he will not turn anyone who comes to him away, with this in mind we pray for those who have gone before us and are yet to make heaven.
The belief the Church celebrates today is part of the “communion of saints”. This is a familiar phrase—we recite it in the Apostles’ Creed—but the “communion of saints” isn’t just those who are canonized saints in Heaven(the triumphant Church), but also the members of the Church who are in Purgatory (the suffering Church), as well as those on earth (the militant Church). Today we who are members of that third group, the militant Church, pray for those in the second, so that joined through prayer, we all may become members of the first.
Our prayer for others draws us closer to those we pray for. Those in Heaven, in Purgatory, and on earth are drawn closer together through intercession. When we intercede for another—or ask someone’s intercession—we don’t believe that that person is God. We ask another to take our prayers to God. When we call our mother and ask her to pray for us, we’re doing the same as when we kneel and pray a rosary: we are asking our mother to pray to God for us.
Reflection today on your dead family members, relatives and friends. Think about the good times you had together. Remember as human they may have offended God and may need you help in prayer. How often do you pray or offer the sacrifice of the mass for their soul?
Lord Jesus Christ, your death and resurrection brought life and hope where there was once only despair and defeat. Give me unwavering faith, unshakeable hope, and the fire of your unquenchable love that I may know you fully and serve you joyfully now and forever in your everlasting kingdom. Jesus, I trust in you.