Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
(Ephesians 6:10-20; Luke 13:3-35)
This evening many will celebrate Halloween, the eve of the
Feast of All Saints. For their purposes,
however, they should celebrate tomorrow, the eve of the Commemoration of All the
Faithful Departed, more commonly called All Souls Day or the “day of the dead.” The object of the commemoration is to pray
for those who, having died in sin, must await entrance into eternal life. Unfortunately, the celebration for most
people has nothing to do with prayer. It
features death as a make-believe pretext for children, costumed as pirates and ghosts,
to collect candy and for adults, dressed similarly, to have a party.
If there ever is a moment of crisis in life, it is at
death. It is a person’s last chance to ask
forgiveness of sins and put one’s life in the hands of the Lord. For this he or she needs the spiritual armor
of which the Letter to the Ephesians speaks in today’s first reading. Truth, righteousness, readiness for peace,
faith, the hope of salvation, and the Spirit of discernment are all required. With these protections one will not be
terrified at leaving behind loved ones as well as his or her body.
There seems to be nothing wrong with playing “trick or treat”
or gathering with friends to celebrate the fall (or spring for those in the
southern hemisphere). But let us remind
one another sometime during the celebration not to forget the root of the occasion. We should encourage one another to pray for
those who have died. We also should also
ask God to keep us faithful to Him at the hour of our death.
