The feast of
All Souls, also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed,
is a celebration of the lives of loved ones who have gone before us in
death, but who may still be in need of the Church’s prayers of petition
for their deliverance from purgatory into heaven.
It is the day
that we especially remember all the faithful departed-those who have
passed from this life into the next. We stop to remember all who
have died. We especially pray for those who were related to us. We pray
for those who taught us good things. We pray for those who made sacrifices
for us. We pray for those who prayed for us while they were on this earth.
We pray for the most forgotten souls. We pray for those who had great
responsibilities while they were on earth.
We think of
those holy souls in purgatory and we realize that they are saved. Now they
wait, being purified, until the moment when they can be with God, face to
face. We can pray for the souls in purgatory and hasten their journey to
God. Eternal rest, grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light
shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.
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