Fr. Mike's Gospel Reflection for - Sunday, November 2, 2025

This weekend we take time to focus on all who have gone before us. On Saturday, we celebrate All Saints Day, followed by All Souls Day on Sunday.

All Saints Day celebrates all those who are in Heaven. “Sancti” is the Latin word for “holy ones” and is the root word from which we get the word “saints.”  The Catholic Church teaches that all souls in heaven are saints. However, the Church also officially recognizes a smaller group of saints through a formal process called canonization, which involves declaring that specific individuals are not only in heaven, but also are worthy of veneration. These canonized saints are specifically recognized by the Church for their very special contributions here on earth. In any event, the Feast of All Saints is a joyous celebration. During mass, the priest wears white vestments to reflect that joy.

All Souls Day is a memorial for all those souls who were not admitted to Heaven upon their death and are undergoing a period of “purification” in Purgatory. The Church teaches that we should not only pray for those souls, but that our prayers may have the effect of shortening their time in Purgatory. All Souls Day is a more somber feast. The readings and prayers for mass are selected from those that we would select at a Funeral Mass. This is also reflected in the use of purple vestments on this day.

On both days, our prayers are focused upon those who have died. On All Saints Day, we pray to those who have died and who are now in Heaven. The Church teaches that those who are free from all sin at death enter Heaven immediately. This includes (but, of course, is not limited to) all named saints, all those anointed with the Sacrament of the Sick in anticipation of death, and every Baptized child who dies before reaching his or her 7th birthday.

Since we cannot be absolutely certain about the eternal fate of everyone else, we pray for them and entrust them to the mercy of God. Those in Purgatory are assured a place in heaven after their purification. We pray that they may soon be with God in heaven. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “We live by faith and hope in the God of mercy and love.”

Fr. Mike