Lessons from the Archive: The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)

First Reading: Wisdom 3:1-9

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-6

Second Reading: St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5:5-11 or 6:3-9

Gospel: According to St. John 6:37-40

Every few years the second of November falls on a Sunday and thus the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed – All Souls Day – gets the due it deserves. Coming a day after the Solemnity of All Saints, which is among the handful of holy days of obligation for Catholics in the United States, the celebration of All Souls Day doesn’t get much attention. And when it does, it tends to confuse rather than console.

The Solemnity of All Saints celebrates all of those who are now among the blessed in Heaven, and especially those who have not been officially declared as saints by the Church. Because of the non-specific nature of the feast, it is natural for us to place those we love on the list of those commemorated on All Saints Day.

That is all well and good, but then who are we commemorating on All Souls Day?

Officially, we are taking time out at the beginning of the month dedicated to those who have traditionally been called “our beloved dead” to remember those souls who are not yet in Heaven as they are in the process of cleansing known commonly as Purgatory. 

Over the past fifty years or so Purgatory has fallen on hard times. Many (if not most) Catholics believe that Vatican II “got rid of Purgatory” and that belief is fostered at many (if not most) funeral Masses where the deceased is eulogized with such vigor that it seems blasphemous to suggest that she or he is in Purgatory rather than Heaven.

Well, the tough truth is that Purgatory was, is, and always will be a dogmatic belief held by the Catholic Faith. Those who die in a state of grace are cleansed (purged) of the remaining effects of sin on their souls. The use of fire as the cleanser of choice is referenced by both St. Peter and St. Paul, and so traditionally theologians, following St. Peter, have spoken of the soul as akin to gold that’s tested in fire – “testing” being the process of applying high heat to gold to remove its impurities.

Those who are undergoing the process know that their testing will end with their entrance into the Kingdom of God, but while they are “in” Purgatory they desire and are in need of our prayers. Thus, the Catholic tradition of praying for those in Purgatory and also the liturgical feast of All Souls Day.

We are given this year a great gift by God in the fact that All Soulss Day is on a Sunday and therefore we are obliged to attend Mass to celebrate all of the faithful departed. This celebration offers us the opportunity to continue or to begin prayers for all of our beloved dead, especially those who we have mistakenly commemorated on Saturday at the All Saints Day Mass.

A.M.D.G.