All Souls

Readings: Job 19v23-27a; Psalm 17v1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2v1-5 & 13-end; Luke 20v27-38.

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, and the thoughts and meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

A Word: On the Feast of All Souls, the Church remembers and calls to mind all the men, women, boys and girls who lived, died and left a hole in our lives. For death is a reality that all mortals have to contend with. However, this is not the whole story for as Jeremiah tells us: our redeemer lives and when he returns, we shall be raised back to life and see God. Then when this occurs, the psalm reminds us that Gd will shower kindness beyond imagining on all who live in accordance with God’s guidance. For as we hear in Thessalonians, when Christ returns and takes his seat in the temple of God, all who believe the message of the gospel will be saved by Jesus, sanctified by the spirit and chosen to receive eternal life. In a place where, in Luke, we hear that God is the God of the living, all those raised back to life at the resurrection of the dead and given eternal life. This is why we can pray with confidence for all who have died: those we have loved; those who are lost; those who are now last, those who the world considers as the least. For God loves all creation and wants all to be saved.

Let us pray: Merciful Lord, let your perpetual light shine on the souls of the faithful departed, we pray for the repose of all who have died and especially for those we miss and mourn at this time; may they rest in peace and rise in glory. Amen

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