The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)
Book of Wisdom 3:1-9
The souls of the just are in the hand of
God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the
foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an
affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace.
On Facebook, my sister shared an article showing archived Victorian Era photographs of deceased people. They looked very much alive with their eyes open, "posing" next to their living relatives. One young lady was dressed in her First Communion gown holding a rosary. Other pictures showed mothers holding their dead infants. In some of the photographs, it was difficult to determine the living versus deceased person. I found the photos creepy and disturbing. Why would anyone want a picture of their dead child? Why not take their picture while living? I figured back then, with photography not readily available, people only took photographs on special occasions (including weddings and funerals).
We may think taking a photograph with a dead corpse, dressed up as living, is morbid. But, back in the day the photographs honored the person. Families often mourned for months at a time, wearing all black clothing, special "mourning" jewelry, and even locks of hair around the neck tucked inside a locket. I find this remembrance of the dead a solemn reminder of the shortness of life. We don't know when or where the Lord will take us into eternity.
Praying for the dead has a long history in the Catholic Church. We don't know the state of someone's soul when they pass on, so we pray on their behalf. If they made it to heaven, most likely they are in the stage of purgatory. Purgatory is a time of cleansing; a time of purging ourselves of the sin we held on to during our lifetimes. I think the only people who go straight to heaven are the Saints!
During the intercessory prayers at mass, I always pray for the souls in purgatory. I hope their cleansing process is short lived, and they are released into the full beauty of heaven. As for people going straight to Hell, I pray for them, too, understanding the eternal damnation will not be pleasant. (I hope the Devil doesn't take away the soul of anyone I know and love...)
On this special feast of All Souls, I think about all of my loved ones, friends and acquaintances who've died. Years have passed but the memory still remains....
-A friend from high school committed suicide our freshman year in college. To this day he is buried in an unmarked tombstone. However, his family did plant a Red Oak tree. Sadly it's grown so large now that it blends with the remainder of the landscape. After so many years I don't remember where he was buried....
-My middle school orchestra teacher who tragically died from a staph infection around Valentine's Day in 1986. She would be my mother's age today. I always remember her for her kindness. She saw talent in me as a violinist and helped nurture it.
-A friend of the family who used to baby sit us when we were little. She died of ovarian cancer at the age of 55. She was the sweetest, dearest woman. I know she's in heaven now!
-My good church friend who recently passed from cancer this year. She was so funny! I will forever miss her.
The list of loved ones goes on and on. All I can say is that I miss each and every one of these beautiful people! I hope my death isn't looming anytime soon because I have so much more preparation to do. When I think about how short life is, I see the importance of prayer, the Sacraments, reconciliation, and virtuous living. I have so much more cleaning and shaping to do in my life so I can be ready for the next!
Prayer of St. Vincent Ferrer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You do not will that anyone should perish
and never is a prayer made to you without hope of mercy.
You have promised:
"All things that you ask in my name, shall be done for you."
Therefore, I ask you, O Lord,
for your holy Name's sake,
to grant me at the house of my death
full consciousness and the power of speech,
sincere contrition for my sins,
true faith, firm hope and perfect charity,
that I may be able to say to you with a clean heart;
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit:
you redeemed me, O God of truth,
who are blessed for ever and ever. Amen.
-J.
We may think taking a photograph with a dead corpse, dressed up as living, is morbid. But, back in the day the photographs honored the person. Families often mourned for months at a time, wearing all black clothing, special "mourning" jewelry, and even locks of hair around the neck tucked inside a locket. I find this remembrance of the dead a solemn reminder of the shortness of life. We don't know when or where the Lord will take us into eternity.
Praying for the dead has a long history in the Catholic Church. We don't know the state of someone's soul when they pass on, so we pray on their behalf. If they made it to heaven, most likely they are in the stage of purgatory. Purgatory is a time of cleansing; a time of purging ourselves of the sin we held on to during our lifetimes. I think the only people who go straight to heaven are the Saints!
During the intercessory prayers at mass, I always pray for the souls in purgatory. I hope their cleansing process is short lived, and they are released into the full beauty of heaven. As for people going straight to Hell, I pray for them, too, understanding the eternal damnation will not be pleasant. (I hope the Devil doesn't take away the soul of anyone I know and love...)
On this special feast of All Souls, I think about all of my loved ones, friends and acquaintances who've died. Years have passed but the memory still remains....
-A friend from high school committed suicide our freshman year in college. To this day he is buried in an unmarked tombstone. However, his family did plant a Red Oak tree. Sadly it's grown so large now that it blends with the remainder of the landscape. After so many years I don't remember where he was buried....
-My middle school orchestra teacher who tragically died from a staph infection around Valentine's Day in 1986. She would be my mother's age today. I always remember her for her kindness. She saw talent in me as a violinist and helped nurture it.
-A friend of the family who used to baby sit us when we were little. She died of ovarian cancer at the age of 55. She was the sweetest, dearest woman. I know she's in heaven now!
-My good church friend who recently passed from cancer this year. She was so funny! I will forever miss her.
The list of loved ones goes on and on. All I can say is that I miss each and every one of these beautiful people! I hope my death isn't looming anytime soon because I have so much more preparation to do. When I think about how short life is, I see the importance of prayer, the Sacraments, reconciliation, and virtuous living. I have so much more cleaning and shaping to do in my life so I can be ready for the next!
Prayer of St. Vincent Ferrer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You do not will that anyone should perish
and never is a prayer made to you without hope of mercy.
You have promised:
"All things that you ask in my name, shall be done for you."
Therefore, I ask you, O Lord,
for your holy Name's sake,
to grant me at the house of my death
full consciousness and the power of speech,
sincere contrition for my sins,
true faith, firm hope and perfect charity,
that I may be able to say to you with a clean heart;
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit:
you redeemed me, O God of truth,
who are blessed for ever and ever. Amen.
-J.
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