Commemoration
of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
(Wisdom
3:1-9; Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40)
Friends were
talking. “How could God allow someone into heaven,” one asked, “if after having
committed sin all his life, he repents on his death bed?” Another friend said that
this question was addressed by the prophet Ezekiel twenty-five hundred years
ago. God has created humans in His image
and expects them to live be justly. He
is not only good to create but also merciful to His creation. If humans swerve from righteousness, He is willing
to receive them back into His favor.
God’s mercy
is explicated in today’s reading from Romans.
God forgives even grievous sins because of the blood sacrificed by Jesus
Christ. No matter the gravity, no matter
the number, Christ’s sacrifice more than makes up for sins. Furthermore, the
Church has specified the mechanism of forgiveness. In the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance sinners
renounce their sins and accept Christ as their Lord.
At this
point we might want to join the conversation: what if sinners never are
baptized or never confess their sins to a priest? Can they be numbered among the “Faithful
Departed” commemorated today? Here God’s
mercy reaches even lower than expected. The
Church teaches that if sinners repent in their hearts out of love for God, even
mortal sins are forgiven. This kind of repentance,
called “perfect contrition, comes almost naturally. When we consider God’s goodness in creation and
Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, how can we not be sorry for having offended His
authority?
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