by Br. Mark Orcutt, O.S.B.

     Today we celebrate “All Souls Day” which takes precedence over the Sunday, this is the day we pray for all the faithful departed and many who have lost parents and loved ones make special visits to churches and cemeteries to offer special prayers for their souls, a practice which continues through the month of November. 

     But why do not only Catholics but many other Christians commemorate their dead throughout the month of November?  Abbot Odilio introduced this feast in 998 to his monks in the Abbey of Cluny (France), this was followed hundreds of years later in the 14th Century, by the Church at Rome adopting the feast for the Universal Church.  All Souls is a day of commemoration and prayer for our family and relatives, our neighbors and friends, all who went before us.  St. Ambrose said: “We have loved them during life; let us not abandon them until we have led them by our prayers to the house of the Lord.”

     Jesus made an incredible guarantee to us – whoever sees and believes in Him shall have everlasting life.  Jesus is present to us through His Word, in the breaking of the Bread and in the church as the Body of Christ and is made known in many countless ways to those who seek Him with the eyes of faith.  Jesus promises us freedom from the fear of being cut off from everlasting life and gives us the hope of sharing in His Resurrection.  Our remembrances are our way of thanking the Lord for the gift of the people the Lord has blessed us with in this life and our prayers for their souls is an expression of our faith in the promise that He made for those who believe in Him.  May our devotion on this special day strengthen our desire to be with God eternally and rejoice in His presence with our loved ones.

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