All The Faithful Departed

Feast of All Souls Day
Gospel of John 6:37-40

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.

Today is All Souls Day, a special feast day when the Church remembers the souls of departed loved ones, friends, and acquaintances.  It's a special day of prayer especially for the souls being cleansed & healed in the state of purgatory.

Pope Benedict XVI says in his beautiful definition of purgatory:

Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again.  That he can cleanse us in such a way that we are able to be with him and can stand their in the fullness of life.  Purgatory strips off from one person what is unbearable and from another the inability to bear certain things, so that each of them a pure heart is revealed, and we can see that we all belong together in one enormous symphony of being.

When I was Protestant, I never understood the idea of purgatory.   I thought if I was a good person and followed the Commandments I'd go straight to heaven.  I didn't realize the importance of praying for the souls of the departed who may be "stuck" between earth and heaven.  Purgatory is certainly not a bad place to be.  Honestly, I find it comforting that God selects a special place of cleansing and purification before arriving at the gates of heaven.  (I definitely want to be beautiful and clean when I meet Jesus!)  I know when I pass my inadequacies and weaknesses will require clean-up.  I think, with the exception of the Saints, most of us will spend an allotted time in purgatory.  Hopefully purgatory's cleansing routine will be only for a brief period!

An All Souls Day Original Poem:

Pray for the souls of the faithful departed;
Who may be in a state of purgatory;
God is cleansing and purging them;
In preparation for eternity.
Cherubims and Seraphims welcome the chosen;
Our loved ones, friends, and acquaintances;
Yes, they made it to heaven;
But only with the Lord's purifying graces.
A purified heart is what God yearns for;
In his departed souls;
And those who pray for them;
 He blesses forever more.
Always remember the souls who died this year and the next;
They will be missed but always at eternal rest.

Amen!

-J.