(See the readings for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
[All Souls])
A sea of light.
Twice in the past few years one of my brothers has been in Eastern Europe on Nov. 2. As it is the custom there, he visited a cemetery. The visitation of cemeteries on All Souls Day is still a strong tradition among the faithful there. After each visit, he sent me photographs. He was there in the evening when the sun had gone down. As he walked through the gates, he was greeted by a sea of light.
As the custom has it, the faithful place vigil lamps on the graves of their deceased loved ones. The photos were amazing, depicting candles of differing shapes and sizes flickering throughout the cemetery grounds. The practice brilliantly illuminates the vast cemetery properties, witnessing to the faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and the hope of eternal life.
The celebration of All Souls gives us the opportunity as a communion of faith to remember those who have gone before us. It is not so much to honor the dead, though that may be part of it for some; but rather, a prayer.
The prayer is one that lifts up the souls of the departed presenting them to the mercy of God. The prayer is one of faith that Christ has been victorious over sin and death. The prayer is one of hope that God will receive them into His Kingdom. The prayer is one of love that God will embrace them in eternal peace. And the prayer is one that God will shatter the darkness of grief with the light of consolation.
In the Gospel for this Sunday’s liturgy, Jesus speaks of His mission. He comes to give life to all who believe in Him. He says: “And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. 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.”
Jesus accomplishes His mission by taking on suffering and death. He endures the trial, the passion and the crucifixion. He dies a horrific death. Then, after three days in the tomb, He rises to life. In His death and resurrection, He restores a broken humanity and offers everyone the gift of eternal life.
St. Paul reminds us that our participation in this gift of life comes through our baptism. Not just a simple ritual of water and words but a mysterious union with Christ accomplished through the sacrament.
He writes to the Romans in the second reading: “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.” In baptism, Christ’s victory is shared and we are given the gift of life.
The first reading comes from the Book of Wisdom. This is one of the most frequently chosen readings for funeral liturgies because of the hope and consolation it offers: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.”
The loving mercy of God envelops the soul in comfort, protection and peace. His love, which is who He is, is experienced with no barriers to understanding for: “Those who trust in him shall understand truth, and the faithful shall abide with him in love: because grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his care is with his elect.”
The death of a loved one, a parent, spouse, child, relative or friend is a time of grief and sorrow. We feel the loss deeply. It is a time of sadness. It is a time of darkness. Yet even in this place of sorrow we encounter the Risen Lord, the Good Shepherd, the one who is the “Way and the Truth and the Life.” He meets us here and leads us forward in light.
Pope Leo while recently speaking on the resurrection in our daily life noted that there is sometimes an assumption that joy must be free from suffering. He sees this as an obstacle for us in recognizing Christ’s presence in the here and now. He illustrates this using the resurrection account commonly referred to as the “Road to Emmaus.”
The Holy Father says:
“The disciples of Emmaus walk sadly because they hoped for a different ending, for a Messiah who did not know the cross. Although they have heard that the tomb is empty, they cannot smile. But Jesus walks alongside them and patiently helps them understand that pain is not the denial of the promise, but the way through which God has manifested the measure of his love (cf. Lk 24:13-27).
“When they are finally seated at the table with him and break bread, their eyes are opened. They realize that their hearts were already burning, even though they did not know it (cf. Lk 24:28-32). This is the greatest surprise: to discover that beneath the ashes of disenchantment and weariness there is always a living ember, waiting only to be rekindled.
“Brothers and sisters, Christ’s resurrection teaches us that no history is so marked by disappointment or sin that it cannot be visited by hope. No fall is definitive, no night is eternal, no wound is destined to remain open forever. However distant, lost or unworthy we may feel, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God’s love.” (Pope Leo XIV, General Audience, October 8, 2025)
This Sunday night, cemeteries in various parts of the Christian world will be alight with candles burning in commemoration of the faithful departed. The prayer they represent is one of hope in God’s benevolent mercy and of trust in His abiding love. The light reminds us that Christ Jesus is the “Light of the World” (John 8:12) — “the light [that] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
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Msgr. Joseph Prior is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, and a former professor of Sacred Scripture and rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. Read more reflections by Msgr. Joseph Prior here.
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