All Souls Day • The dead are not so very far away. They have a message for you:
"What you are, I once was.
What I am, you will be."
I want to start my homily by talking about funerals. Funerals and Baptisms have more in common than you might realize. We greet the body at the door, we sprinkle the casket with Holy Water, and we unfold a white pall over the casket. Jesus receives all of our concerns and burdens, and covers us in his own holiness. Finally, we are given a lit candle, the Light of Faith, to light our way to heaven.
Our Baptism starts us on our journey to God's kingdom. We then spend the rest of our life preparing for our funeral.
We are deeply connected with the spiritual world, but we are often unaware of this aspect of our existence. When the soul leaves the body, it sees it's own state. Souls that said "No" to God, and that was their final answer, begin immediately to experience hell. Souls that were free of all sin begin immediately to enjoy the happiness of heaven. And those that still had some attachment to sin enter a state of purification.
Salvation isn't finished yet. On the last day, at his Second Coming, Jesus will return in glory with his angels. He will raise the dead and put Heaven and Earth together forever. It will all go quicker than we think. Are you preparing for your funeral?
(2 Nov 2025)
Going Deeper: Go walk in a cemetery, pray for the dead, and reflect on your own funeral.
Join me for the final year of Oriens: A Pilgrimage Through Advent and Christmas learn more at PilgrimPriest.us/book
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