All Souls Day
Dearest Brothers and Sisters,
How lucky are we to have the hope of eternal life. As St. Paul reminds us in his Letter to the Romans, Hope does not disappoint! Particularly as we begin the month of November, we get to remember and pray for our loved ones who have passed, knowing that our God is so merciful and graciously humbled Himself unto death. What a gift that He reconciled us to Himself in this way despite our imperfections. Thanks to His sacrifice, we can have confidence in the fact that the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and that no torment shall touch them, as Solomon writes in the book of Wisdom.
In the verse preceding those in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life, the source of the living water the Samaritan woman yearns for just two chapters earlier. He who
comes to Him shall not hunger, and who believes in Him shall not thirst! Your heavenly Father knows you need food and water. Let us instead search for what is above. He longs for you to come to Him. He thirsts for you. So much so that He was willingly raised up upon the cross for us and for all those before us.
Jesus reminds us that He will not reject anyone who comes to Him, but how often do we in turn reject God and want to do things our own way? Here we have the opportunity to learn from Jesus’ obedience and instead of prioritizing our own desires, we can desire to do the will of the one who sends us. While letting go of control and surrendering your plans to God may not be easy, you’ll find that placing your trust in Him will bring you to the verdant green pastures and still waters Psalm 23 so beautifully describes. The Lord is indeed our shepherd, our good shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep; who are we to want? Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it abundantly! Our God is a God of abundance. Remember, the will of your Father is that you may deeply know Him and His Son Jesus Christ, and in doing so you may have eternal life.
“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:1-3 RSV).
- Giulia Mazzarelli, Penn FOCUS Missionary
