All Soul’s Day / Election Day

All Soul’s Day
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

Today, on All Souls’ Day, we pray for the dead. Praying for the dead is as old as the Church itself, and very much a universal practice.

Why do we do this? If a person is in heaven, the prayers obviously are not needed. If a person is in hell, the prayers aren’t going to do any good. It makes sense, then, that praying for the dead shows that we believe in purgatory, a place where the souls of the just may be detained before they are worthy to enter heaven.

But why might souls need a stopover in purgatory? Because when our earthly life is over and we come before the Lord, we see ourselves clearly. We can no longer hide behind our body or our ego or other earthly excuses. The soul knows that it must be spotless to look God in the face and stand in his presence. A person with unforgiven or unsatisfied venial sins from life will flee from God’s presence to clean up first. It’s like standing outside the door to a fancy party and realizing you have a smudge on your face or a spot on your clothes; you’ll want to clean up in the washroom before going inside. It’s the same with heaven.

So while it’s true that Christ earned salvation for all of us, and more than made satisfaction for all of our sins, still Christ wills that in our individual lives, we share in penance to make satisfaction for sin.

As much as we’d like to believe that all our family members and friends who have died are safely in heaven, it is good and prudent, and even holy, to act as though they are in purgatory. Prayers are never wasted. If our loved ones are safely in paradise, then God will use our good prayers to benefit other poor souls in purgatory. But if they themselves are there, wouldn’t it be tragic not to use our powerful prayers to help them get out faster?

All Souls’ Day is a good time to remind ourselves that only the perfect enter heaven. So let us strive for perfection in every aspect of our life. And while we are able, let us also resolve to pray for the dead and do penance in this life so we may avoid purgatory when we cross over into eternity.

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Switching gears now, I want to speak briefly about the general elections to be held this Tuesday, November 4. First, let me echo our bishop’s exhortation to vote. Bishop Jenky said, “In our American democracy, we have the freedom to choose our officials and our legislators, and so have a voice in formulating the laws that govern us. This great gift of liberty, especially our religious liberty, should never be taken for granted. We therefore have a moral duty to participate with our fellow citizens in the political process. … We owe it to God and neighbor never to allow ourselves to be marginalized from the political process. So be sure to vote.” In other words, it is an important duty and responsibility for all of us to cast our ballot. Please, exercise that right and privilege.

I don’t have to tell you that there are a number of very important issues facing our country and our world.

A great many of us are heartsick over being embroiled in another foreign war—a modern war with terrible weaponry that we know for a fact is shattering the lives of countless young soldiers and their families, not only here but in other lands, as well. We know Jesus teaches love and peace. Please, exercise your conscience and your vote to expedite the end of armed conflict.

We are blessed to live in one of the richest nations on the face of the earth. Yet not too many of us have escaped the impact of painful economic times. When the stock market was in free-fall a couple of weeks ago, some commentators were saying that nothing like that had been seen since 1937—the height of the Great Depression. That’s scary! Usually, those of us in the middle class escape the brunt of financial upheaval. But this time, even ordinary folks faced the prospect of losing their home, getting fired or laid off from their job, not being able to pay for school or heat or gasoline or even food. Maybe this experience really brings home Jesus’ message of how important it is to love and take care of the poor. Please, exercise your conscience and your vote to help make a difference.

As people of faith and hope, we are passionate about the gift of human life. Abortion has been a divisive issue in our nation for 35 years. We also face off when it comes to euthanasia, adoption and foster care, marriage rights, health care, and many other issues that impact the very right to live, the quality of life, and the dignity of every precious child of God. You might do well to reread Matthew’s Gospel, Chapters 5, 6 and 7—the Sermon on the Mount. Let Christ’s powerful words soak into your heart before you mark your ballot… “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world…Do not judge; why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?... So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…” Please, exercise your conscience and your vote to honor the Beatitudes.

We are also a magnificently free country… but once we’ve won our own freedom, it’s easy to turn a blind eye to others. Most of our forebears came to this country in steerage class—with nothing. They worked hard and were blessed with opportunity and good fortune. But forty years ago, many of us forgot our own humble roots. We did our best to keep black folks as second-class citizens. Thank God, God’s love won out. Today’s civil rights battles focus on immigrants, gay people, people with disabilities, the elderly… Please, exercise your conscience and your vote to make this a better America for all people—not just the “in crowd.”

Yes, Tuesday is a big day. Forget the political rhetoric and posturing. Instead, say a prayer for divine guidance and vote for the candidates you feel can make a holy difference. Yes, please exercise your conscience and vote.