Daily Mass Reading Reflection (Nov 16, 2024)

Readings from the Optional Memorial of Saint Gertrude
John 15:1-8

Our beloved dead are still connected to the Vine. The most fruitful practice I have found in my own reading and reflection on the daily Mass readings is to find a connecting thread either between the readings themselves or between the readings and the liturgical calendar. Here, there is a threefold connection between the readings, the Saint and the liturgical focus of the month. One of the most well-known writings we have from St. Gertrude are her revelations on the souls in Purgatory. She had a special devotion to the holy souls in Purgatory and dedicated much of her prayer to this population. She described Jesus descending to Purgatory to pull souls up with him to heaven with a rod, the hooks of which were our prayers. They were strengthened and able to pull more souls up by the virtue of charity. 

Both of these images, the hooks and the charity strengthening them, fit well with the Gospel readings from today. In John 15:1-8, Jesus describes himself as connected to his Church like a vine connected to branches. What connects the branches to the vine is not the power or strength of the branches themselves, but the strength and power of the Vine. Similarly, the souls who have died in relationship with Jesus are still connected to him and his love is still empowering, enlivening them. Even more fittingly still, the Catechism paragraph 1108 refers to the Holy Spirit as the “sap” of the Vine, which is delivered to the branches.

We read this verse and celebrate St. Gertrude during the month of November, which is dedicated to the holy souls in Purgatory. As an act of charity, let us now call upon Christ to carry those souls out of their suffering and unite themselves more closely to the Vine:

"Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of Your Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen"