In the Hand of God: Reflections on the Readings for The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Wisdom 3:1-9
Psalm 23
Romans 5:5-11 or Romans 6:3-9
John 6:37-40

All Soul’s Day commemorates all of the Faithful Departed (as opposed to All Saints Day which commemorates all of the saints in Heaven). This means we commemorate the souls in purgatory who departed their earthly lives “in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, ...” (Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC- 1030), often referred to as “the holy souls in Purgatory.” They are the Church Suffering. We on earth are the Church Militant, still fighting the spiritual war while those in heaven are the Church Triumphant, who have already won their battle against evil and sin.

Today we celebrate those in Purgatory, who need our prayers. Many saints have been given visions of Purgatory, partly to show us it exists, and partly to encourage us to help the souls there to complete their journey to heaven. C.S. Lewis, who never completed his journey to Catholicism (at least not publicly) believed it existed and it figures greatly into his book, The Great Divorce.

The first reading hints strongly at Purgatory. “For if before men, indeed, they be punished, yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself.” Purgatory is the final purification we must go through as nothing but a pure soul can enter Heaven. In The Great Divorce, those who have left the gray Valley of the Shadow of Death do not enter immediately into Heaven but must undergo a transition so that they can face the Divine Light.

What could be more appropriate when talking about all the souls in Purgatory than the 23rd Psalm? The dark valley figures keenly here. As noted above, C.S. Lewis uses that symbolism in The Great Divorce. Here the psalmist reflects on being in the hand of God and is thus protected. It is faith that puts us in the hand of God. In 2 Samuel 22, David again speaks similar words, calling the Lord, “my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock of refuge!” By faith we acknowledge the Lord as the Good Shepherd. In the gospel of John Jesus tells us that He is the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep. (John 10:11)

The Lord walks with us during our lives, although many do not see or refuse to see His guiding and protecting hand. Evil and suffering may attack us, but often we don’t see how even worse things might have been deflected or the subsequent good that might have come from our predicament. St. Paul told us, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God.” (Romans 8:28) The psalmist is basically telling us to trust in the Lord as he does. The Catechism tells us that God knows how to derive good from evil. (CCC 311-313, 324) However, keep in mind that we may not do evil that good may come of it (CCC 1761)

There are two options for the second reading, both from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans. Both have the underlying theme of trusting in the Lord and of His infinite love for us. In the selection from chapter 5, Paul notes “the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” The proof of this, Paul tells us is because, “while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Therefore, we should “boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

The selection from chapter 6 tells us that (through baptism) since we have died with Christ, “we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” Our baptism is a sign of our faith and trust in the Lord. Baptism and Christ’s death and resurrection enable us to shed our slavery to sin. If we have faith and trust in Jesus, death loses its power over us and we will have “newness of life.”

The gospel reading comes from the beginning of the Bread of Life discourse. In the line just prior to this selection Jesus chastises the crowd about their faith, “But I told you that although you have seen [me], you do not believe.” This occurs the day after the multiplication of the loaves and yet the crowd still asks Jesus for a sign. Instead Jesus tells them that He has come to do the will of the Father and that they should also, “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.”

Jesus is the “son of David” sent from the Father but it appears that the crowd lacks the faith of David as expressed in today’s psalm. Faith is critical for gaining the benefits and graces that God has to offer, including our salvation.

The Commemoration of All Souls comes immediately after the Solemnity of All Saints’. However, since the solemnity falls on Saturday this year it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. Nevertheless, we should give it some attention.

The readings for this solemnity address the “servants of the Lord” who have been marked with the seal of the Lord (Revelation) and the salvation that comes from the Lamb (Jesus). The scene is heaven where there is a multitude “... who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb." The psalm speaks to the characteristics of those in heaven, who have ascended the “mountain of the Lord.” Their hands are sinless, and their hearts are clean (having been purified).

The reading from the first letter of St. John notes that through the love of God (and Jesus Christ) we are now children of God and to be such we must be made pure. In life we do this by following the words of the gospel for All Saints’ which comes from the Sermon on the Mount and delineates the Beatitudes. The final line of this excerpt again addresses faith in Jesus, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

From a quick look at these readings it is easy to see how the two celebrations go together. However, they were not both established at the same time. Originally celebrated in May as All Martyrs’ Day (Pope Boniface IV, 609), Pope Gregory III changed it to include all saints and around 731 moved it to November 1, which coincided with pagan holidays celebrating the dead (history.com). In 998, the Church added the commemoration of all souls immediately following All Saints’ Day as a day of solemn prayer for all the faithful departed (The Catholic Encyclopedia).