Two Days, One Purpose: Honoring the Dead

HOMILY FOR ALL SAINTS AND ALL SOULS DAY BY REV. AUGUSTINE ADETOLA

All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day are two important days in the Catholic Church, but they

focus on different groups of people. Both are about remembering those who have died,

but in different ways. All Saints’ Day is on November 1, and All Souls’ Day is on November

2. These are days whereby we, the Church militants (Those still alive), unite with the

Church triumphant (All Saints) and the Church suffering (All Souls).

All Saints’ Day honors all the saints who are already in Heaven. These are people who lived holy lives and are now with God. Some of these saints are well-known, like St. Francis of Assisi, St. Peter Claver, or your patron saint, but many others are unknown to us. On this day, we celebrate all of them and ask for their prayers and intercessions. All Souls’ Day, on the other hand, is about praying for those who have died but are not yet in Heaven.

These are the souls in Purgatory who still need to be purified before they can enter

Heaven. On this day, we pray for them and ask God to help them on their journey.

Purgatory is a place of purification of Sins. There are two types of punishment due to sin:

Eternal punishment and temporary punishment due to sins. Eternal punishment is wiped

away by confession, while temporary punishment is wiped away through Indulgence. We

gain indulgence when we go for confession, pray the rosary, or read the bible for thirty

minutes and say a prayer for the Holy Father. For those whose temporary punishment due to sin are not wiped out while they are alive, they go to purgatory for purification. Our dead are always with us. Let us keep them in our prayers.

There are several practical ways we can observe All Souls’ Day as Catholics. One of the

most important is attending Mass. By going to Mass, we pray for the dead and offer the

sacrifice of the Eucharist for their benefit. Another common practice is visiting cemeteries. This is a way to show respect and remember the dead. Other things we can do is praying the Rosary, or offering specific prayers like the Eternal Rest prayer, which

asks God to grant peace to the souls in Purgatory.

The readings for All Souls Day from the book of Wisdom teach that true life rests with

God, even when death seems to have the final word. The first reading speaks of the just

being in God’s care, secure despite how they appear to others. This is the assurance we

get in John’s Gospel, where Jesus promises to welcome all who come to him and to raise

them on the last day. Let our faith and hope in God remain strong as we continue to pray

for the faithful departed and seek the intercession of the saints.