Homily, November 2, 2025
From The Pastor
‘The souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them.’ The hope of all believers is the consolation of the mercy of God in the promise of eternal life. Today’s Memorial is an unusual one in that it ranks as a Solemnity of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and various saints in the liturgical calendar. As such, it takes the place of the Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary time. Why does this Memorial rank so highly?
The Resurrection of the dead is the core belief of all Christians. The Resurrection of Jesus is the fruit of our redemption with the culmination of the Christian year at Easter. The foundation of all we believe depends on Jesus rising from the dead as Savior and Christ. Only because of the freely chosen death of Jesus, who took into himself the lie of evil and the disorder of all sin, can we find new life in him who is now risen. This is our hope and our deepest longing not only for ourselves, but for those who have proceeded us in death.
Today’s Memorial gives us the opportunity to not only remember our loved ones through prayerful intercession. It also allows us to deepen our faith and trust in the dying and the rising of the Lord Jesus that opens the path to our eternal life. This is a day to stir up our love for those who have died, and to embrace more dearly the work of the Lord that promises this eternal peace.
Who are the souls of the just? The just ones are the righteous, those who lived in right relationship with God in the faithful hope of heaven. God receives those who are his own. The invitation is to surrender the sadness, fear, and uncertainty of death to the joyful hope of Divine glory. These are the reasons this is not an ordinary memorial of remembrance. Through our love and care for those who have died, we are consoled and raised beyond our sadness in the fruit of our redemption. This does not deny the sadness of death nor minimize the challenging process of bereavement. This is a day of faith that in the reality of death, we are able to surrender our loved ones with ardent hope into the hands of God.
The day reminds us that we are spiritual beings redeemed, holy and beloved in the Lord. The loving remembrance we voice today gives us the opportunity to ponder the glories of heaven. The work of our redemption is fulfilled in the rising of the Lord Jesus. The souls of our loved ones who died in the Lord are now free from sin in the mercy of God through Christ.
In the bereavement process, surrendering our loved ones is rarely easy for many reasons. Mostly because of their absence in the loss of their company and the bonds of love we hold so dear. Even in the bonds of love, it is not unusual to wonder where our loved one is. Are they in heaven? Are they with God? Could they be in purgatory? These are natural questions of human nature in the bonds of love and the reality of human incompletion.
We may wonder about their sins or those things that were difficult in their lives. We all know the weight of our human incompleteness in the world. Things can get stuck in our head or in our heart. We can all name things that should not have been but did happen. We know things that could have been but did not. A survivor can feel guilty, unable to find peace due to unresolved tensions or sorrow for unforgiven hurts. This is the grace of the day and why the day holds the higher rank that it does in the promise of redemption.
The resolution, healing, and forgiveness of any unfinished or unresolved tension is the work of redemption. The Cross heals, forgives, and redeems. This is confirmed in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Jesus took all our human incompleteness into himself on the Cross, and with perfect mercy forgives all who seek to know and live in his love. This is the fruit of the Cross.
I like the image St. Paul uses in his letter to the Romans. Do not our souls groan inwardly for the fulfillment of our life in the Holy Spirit as those adopted by God in Christ? They do. ‘We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains…and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, also groan within ourselves as we await… the redemption of our bodies.’ Praise be God for the Resurrection of Jesus. In him our loved ones are with the Lord.
Please take the opportunity to write the names of your loved ones in the Book of Life so we can pray together on their behalf. I also invite you to bring your loved ones to the altar in prayer and put them in the cup of the Lord’s Precious Blood. Through this saving cup the fruit of our redemption is the glory of heaven. Be at peace with joyful hope as you surrender your loved ones to the Lord. Now in the communion of saints, they are indeed praying for us.
Father John Esper
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