11/2/2025 (Sunday) Today’s Gospel reading: John 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
37 “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
38 because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
39 And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

11/2/2025 (Sunday) Today’s Gospel reflection / homily / sermon: John 6:37-40

All Souls Day invites us to pause, remember, and pray for our departed loved ones. It is a day filled with both longing and hope, longing for those we have lost, and hope rooted in the promise of eternal life. Grief and faith often walk hand in hand on this day. While our human hearts ache with the absence of those we love, our spirits find comfort in the truth that death is not the end. Life continues in God, who welcomes every soul with mercy and compassion. The faithful departed are not lost; they are gathered into the loving embrace of the One who never rejects anyone who comes to Him.

When we visit cemeteries, light candles, and offer prayers, we are reminded that love transcends time and space. Those simple acts are not only gestures of remembrance but expressions of faith. The light of our candles symbolizes our belief that even in the darkness of loss, there is the radiance of eternal life. The prayers we offer are not empty words; they are acts of trust that our loved ones are being renewed in the fullness of God’s presence. Through these prayers, we strengthen the invisible bond that connects heaven and earth, the living and the dead. We are one family of faith, united in Christ, who has conquered death.

All Souls Day also teaches us to see death not as a fearful separation but as a sacred passage. God’s desire is that no one should be lost. Every soul is precious in His eyes, and His love is greater than our failures and sins. This truth fills our hearts with peace. We do not need to imagine eternity as something distant or unreachable. Eternal life begins the moment we open our hearts to God’s love and trust in His will. For those who have gone before us, this eternal life is now their reality — a life free from pain, sin, and sorrow. Their journey reminds us that our own lives should be guided by faith, compassion, and readiness to meet the Lord when our time comes.

As we remember the dead, we are also invited to reflect on how we are living. Are we walking in the light of God’s truth? Are we forgiving, loving, and compassionate? Life on earth is fleeting, but how we live it echoes into eternity. The memory of our loved ones urges us to live with purpose and kindness, to be more patient, more prayerful, and more hopeful. Every moment of goodness we share, every act of mercy we show, becomes a reflection of the same divine love that sustains those who rest in God’s peace.

All Souls Day is not a day of despair but of deep gratitude. We thank God for the lives of those who shaped us with their love and faith. We thank Him for the assurance that their souls are held safely in His care. And we thank Him for the promise that one day, we too will be gathered into His eternal embrace. Until that day, our prayers continue, not only for the souls in purgatory but also for our own conversion, that we may live each day ready for eternity.

In the quiet of our remembrance, may our hearts find rest in the truth that no one who turns to God is ever forgotten. Our departed loved ones are alive in His mercy, and we too are being drawn closer to the same divine promise. Death may close the eyes of the body, but it opens the eyes of the soul to everlasting life that God has prepared for all who love Him

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