Tonight is about illumination. We notice the darkness of the outside and yet from that darkness always shines forth new light. Today families processed into the Church with a lit candle and left them near the side altar of Saint Joseph who is the patron of a happy death. This candle professes Christ's saving action upon cross which through the Resurrection which brought light into a world cast into darkness. Through sin we have been cast into darkness, but Christ continues to illumine us to our proper light. In death we mourn, but in Christ our hearts are illumined as we trust in the reality of the Resurrection. We now gather and pray that all the souls of the faithful departed may be illumined towards the proper splendor of the Heavenly Kingdom.
What we attend today is a type of Funeral Mass where we come together to join our prayers and to offer them unto the Father on the behalf of all the faithful departed. It is important that we continue to offer our prayers, sacrifices, and the Holy Mass for the dead. Some claim that this practice is foolish, but Sacred Scripture instructs us differently in the Book of Maccabees: "for if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death." The Gospels use the analogy of gold passing through a furnace in order that it's impurities may pass out of it.
We cannot allow ourself to lose the sight of this most important work of praying for the dead. The faithful departed who we commemorate this day were found worthy of Heaven at the point of their death, but they must first pass through Purgatory in order that they may be brought towards the great light of Heaven. Sin stains our soul and leaves behind the effects of temporal punishment. Our prayers and sacrifices help to take these temporal punishments away and to slowly bring the souls of the dead to the light of Heaven.
If you were to throw a rock into a body of water you would see the water ripple. This is the effect of the rock which was thrown. If a child were to be throwing a football in the house and was to break a window we would see the effect of his action. The parent would then punish the child with being grounded for six months. Then through the good works of the child the parent decides to lower their punishment to three months. This is an analogy of temporal punishment and the effect that our prayers have upon the faithful departed.
In this vestment we see black which reminds us of the reality of sin and of death. This color gives us the permission to mourn, but at the same time we notice the silver and gold. This is what is taking place in the souls of the faithful departed as we pray for them. They are slowly being brought to the light of Heaven.
There is a story of a priest who asked another priest to offer the Mass for him once he died. Upon hearing the news of the priest's passing he quickly went to offer the Mass on his behalf. Once the Mass was finished the priest appeared to him and asked why it had taken him 30 years to have this Mass offered. May we not delay in the seriousness of what we are able to do to assist these holy souls. As we pray them, they in time will brought into Heaven, that will make them a saint, and then they will be able to pray for us that we may one day join with them in the Heavenly Kingdom.
As we reflect upon death may we also come to reflect upon our own life. If we have an unconfessed mortal sin upon our soul may we fear not in taking it to confession. May we practice penance and sacrifice in order that we may become detached from venial sin. May we do the same concerning the effects of temporal punishment that is upon our own soul. We must strive for sanctity and always be open to turning towards the infinite mercy of God.
May all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
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