November 2, 2026 // The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 6:37-40

Reflect on the Word // 

I sang and played piano for a funeral Mass recently. I have probably been to more funerals than the average person by being part of the music ministry at my parish. What continues to surprise me when I attend funerals of people I did not know, is how personal the liturgy is each time. The Church offers a beautiful liturgy not only to pray for the soul of the person who has died but also as an important and sacred ritual for the family and friends who mourn the loss of an important person in their lives. 

The personal aspect of the liturgy doesn’t usually come directly from the priest preaching the homily, the funeral directors who help in so many different ways, and it most definitely does not come from the music being played and sung. What makes the funeral liturgy feel so important and personal each time is Christ’s presence to those who mourn at such a difficult time. Through the liturgy of the funeral Mass, Jesus touches the hearts of the brokenhearted in intimate and beautiful ways. It’s usually evident on the faces of the family members in the front pews and in the changing intonation of the priest as he prays. 

When we hear Jesus say today that God the Father has promised, “that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day” (John 6:39), we are given the promise that we are personally loved and tended to by Jesus. This care is not only while we are alive on earth but after we die as well (see John 6:40). Christ, through His Church, has not left us to walk through the difficulties of death alone. He has given us the sacred liturgies that help us process, remember, and commend the souls of our loved ones to Him, just as the Church gives us a solemn commemoration to pray for the souls of all our dearly departed today. In praying for the souls of those we have lost, let it bring them closer to Jesus and let it bring Jesus closer to us in our sorrow and grief.

Relate to the Lord // Remember today the loved ones you have lost and offer a prayer for their repose and the consolation of all who still mourn them.