COMMEMORATION OF THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED
“I am the Resurrection and the Life, whoever believes in Me will live.” (John 11: 25)

During some months ago, at the onset of my dawn worship around 4 am, the usual calm and peaceful surroundings was replaced by bitter cries. All I could hear was a girl’s loud moans. It echoed, “Papa, Papa.” Sometime later, news spread that her dad had died due to massive heart attack at their home. She was their only child born after nine long years.

The demise of a beloved one is always bitter and heart breaking.

When his son Absalom died, David moaned deeply, “O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33). 

Again when his friend, Jonathan died David wept saying “I grieve for you my brother Jonathan; how dear you were to me! How wonderful was your love for me, better even than the love of woman.”  (2 Samuel 1:26)

It is factual that we can no more see the face or experience the love of those who have left us. The very thought transports anguish and helplessness to us who are left behind.

At the same time one can neither prevent nor delay death which makes it all the more bitter.

For the Holy Bible says, “No one can keep himself from dying or put off the day of his death.  That is a battle we cannot escape; we cannot cheat our way out.”  (Eccl.. 8:8)

King David while conversing about death was not very sure where he would go after death. So he described it as the valley of deepest darkness.  Before the death of Christ Jesus, people had no clear picture of death and resurrection so they talked about it with bitterness. 

“In His life on earth Jesus made His prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save Him from death.”  (Hebrews 5:7) 

Many times Lord Jesus told His disciples about His death.

“The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me.” 

(Matthew 26:38) 

Lord Jesus moved with compassionate heart to those who were broken and desperate because He Himself was a victim of sorrows and rejection.  He gained courage and grace to overcome it through His fervent cries to His Father in Heaven.

Even before His death on the Cross, Lord Jesus told His disciples, “For I tell you that the Scripture which says, ‘He shared the fate of criminals’, must come true about Me, because what was written about Me is coming true.”  (Luke 22:37) 

He bore His sufferings patiently and might have reported to the Father that He had finished experiencing death on the cross as well.  So Lord Jesus told His Father, “Father I have fulfilled all that You commanded me to do on earth even the last – the death on the cross.”

By raising His friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus demonstrated to the world that God has given Him the authority to raise the dead and through that the people on earth may not have the wrong belief that their lives ends with death. 

The Holy Bible says, “Listen to this secret truth: we shall not all die, but when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant as quickly as the blinking of an eye.  For when the trumpet sounds the dead will be raised, never to die again and we shall all be changed.”  (1 Cor. 15 : 51-52)

From the above said holy verses we might know the truth about what will happen at the end of the world.  There is a life after death - the true life in eternal.  

The graveyard is the altar of each body to be adorned for the resurrection.

When a righteous man’s body dissolves in the dust, the soul will join its Owner -that is God Almighty; that is called Eternal Life.   “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He keeps me from the grave and blesses me with love and mercy.”  (Ps 103)  

And again Christ Jesus says, “I am telling you the truth, whoever hears My words and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, he will not be judged but has already – passed from death to life.”  (John 5 : 24)

But overlooking the life after death,  just to enjoy this worldly life, denying God’s commandments and when you die, the soul will join its owner, that is the Devil – that is life in eternal abyss (hell). 

After the death of a devotee of Christ, still the soul needs purification because God cannot accept the soul until it is fully holy.  So the soul is sent for purification in the place called ‘purgatory’.  Once the souls leave this world they cannot help themselves in their purification.  That is why the Holy Bible teaches and urges us to offer mass, sacrificial prayers, fasting, abstinence, almsgiving, acts of mercy, etc. on behalf of the poor departed souls. 

However some take it in a very casual manner and ignore to pray for the departed souls of their loved ones.  It is our responsibility to save the souls in purgatory.  There are many families suffering with various misfortunes, hereditary disorders, sicknesses, and lack of prosperity, accidents and unhappiness with reasons unknown.  If such hardships and brokenness is troubling you then surely a cry of a departed soul is behind it. 

We are the only mediators given by God to comfort the departed souls and help them to attain eternal life.  Christian love is a covenant relation, which exists even after this earthly life.  The sacrificial sin offerings and prayers done for departed souls especially on ‘commemoration day of the faithful departed’ (i.e. 2^nd November) are precious in the sight of God.  If you will save even one soul, that soul will pray for you and save you from all adversities here as well as the soul will assist you in your death bed and your soul will be safe. 

The Holy Bible says about the destiny of the righteous.   “But righteous people are protected by God and will never suffer torment.  It is a foolish mistake to think that righteous people die and their death is a terrible death.  They leave us but it is not a disaster.  In fact righteous are at peace.  They have suffered punishment but they have the confident hope of immortality.”  (Wisdom 3)

So let us prepare ourselves to welcome the month of November which is dedicated for the departed souls. It is a noble thing to do sin offerings to save souls, as God wishes that everyone be saved.

 “Do not be worried and upset,” Jesus told them, “Believe in God and believe also in Me.  There are many rooms in my Father’s house.  I am going to prepare a place for you….. I will come back and take you to Myself so you will be where I am.”  (John 14)  

Let us commit our deeds and prayers to save the souls in purgatory awaiting the Mercy of Eternal Father. 

Can you imagine the pain of a father who spent all what he had to build a home for his child receiving the news that he is dead and no more to enjoy that joy of living in that home?   So let us pray for our co-brothers that the perpetual light may shine upon them and may their souls enjoy the eternal life in Father’s home. So that none of the rooms in our Almighty God’s home would remain vacant.

Here is a powerful prayer for souls in purgatory.  (Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said.  The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well)

Prayer

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy 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, those in my own home and within my family.  Amen.   

(You may learn the prayer by heart or keep it in your wallet. I request you to join us in reciting the above prayer once a day at least throughout this month for the departed souls.)

With love filled blessings

Your Sister in Christ

Kindly Note:

As per the message from God of KLWC, our team will be conducting an in-house Night Vigil service from 11 pm (1/11/2015) to 6 am (2/11/2015)   Your Thanksgivings and Prayer Requests are welcome.