“May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”
It’s something my family has said at the end of every prayer before we eat since I was very young. I suppose I’d never really given it much thought until I was well into college. What a beautiful thing to do: remember and pray for those who have parted from this world at such a communal time. The ‘faithful departed’ are those who trusted in the mercy of God and hoped for life with Him. Saying that little prayer at the beginning (or end) of a meal is a wonderful way to pray for those souls in purgatory as well as remind ourselves that we are not made for this world, we are made for eternal life in Heaven with God our Father.
In the Gospel today we hear of Christ’s promise of redemption. A promise filled with love and with hope. We are reminded that, from the very beginning of creation, it has been God’s will that we spend eternity in communion with Him. He sent His Son so that we might inherit eternal life and He wants nothing more than to share the joy of His Kingdom with us. Christ Himself is saying this! It isn’t hearsay, we aren’t hearing it third-hand, it is Christ’s message of redemption directly to each individual person. As St. Paul tells the Romans, it is love that makes Christ’s passion and resurrection possible; the love that God has for each and every one of us despite our sinfulness. Through our baptism, we are united with Christ and His plan and are given “newness of life”. Those who live their lives with Christ have nothing to fear in death for they will only be truly united with the One for whom they were made. Death is hope, not despair. After death, we find the fulfillment of our earthly desire for unity with Christ and His infinite love.
So let us not distance ourselves from death and forget that Heaven and life with God is our ultimate goal. May we always keep the faithful departed in our prayers and look forward to eternal life with our Creator.
“Eternal Father, I offer you the most precious blood of the Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, for those in my home and in my family. Amen” -St. Gertrude the Great-
Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO is studying for her Master’s in Spanish, and loves her job as an elementary school librarian. She is engaged to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others.
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