Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - November 2, 2024
Photo by Cathy Lampert
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from You.”
Faithful Departed, November 2
The second of November is a Christian Memorial Day; we remember the dead. No matter how we look on it, this day reminds us of them and death. Unlike a fairly recent period in Christian history, we do not think primarily of the deceased as undergoing the pains of purgatory, away from the presence of God. Because of renewed attention to Scripture we are more inclined to trust that God has forgiven and taken to God’s loving arms those who, though imperfect, put their confidence in God's love.
With St. Paul in Romans we say: “If God is for us, who can be against us? Is it possible that He who did not spare His own Son but handed Him over for the sake of us all will not grant us all things besides? . . . I am certain that neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future, will be able to separate us from the love of God that comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39).
It honors the love God has for us and lives up to the trust God asks if we confide the deceased to God's loving care. It further honors that love if we ourselves live in trust and confidence in God's forgiveness and love. Recalling those gone before us can arouse our thanksgiving for all they meant to us. Recalling that they have left our world urges us to live generously this short but precious life.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
