“Because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” (Jn 6:38)
FIRST READING - Wis 3:1-9
First reading from the Book of Wisdom
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.
SECOND READING from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans - Rom 6:3-9
Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Jn 6:37-40
From the Gospel according to John
Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”
THE COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED - Gospel (Jn 6:37-40)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
Today's Word of God speaks about remembering the souls in purgatory. God loves the souls in purgatory as well as those living on earth. He does not want to lose any soul. Therefore, He came down from heaven to earth and humbled Himself to become a human being like any other human being. He did not care about the glory and honor of the world but only wanted to save many souls for God the Father. Therefore, He had to sacrifice Himself, suffer, die on the cross, and rise again to save people from sin, help people escape from the captivity of Satan, and give people the resurrection of God.
God loves humanity and loves the souls in purgatory, so He teaches people while they are living on earth, how to live to please God, because when God calls them out of this life, God will let them enjoy His holy face. But because people are very weak, fall into the temptations of Satan and commit many sins that displease God; so when they leave this world, their souls and bodies must undergo purification in purgatory, and must pay for the justice of each person's actions while they were still alive on earth. Therefore, God urges everyone to remember the souls still in purgatory, which is the place where the soul is purified. In order for the soul to be pure, the soul must rely on the grace and mercy of God shown in others, who are alive living on this earth, and still have the opportunity to do good deeds, to make sacrifices, charity, and love to atone for the sins of the souls. The souls in purgatory are suffering greatly because they are forgotten by everyone, and they need the sacrifices and good deeds of those still living on this earth to have God reduce their punishment.
On the contrary, people today only care about enjoying material things in this world and rarely remember the souls in purgatory. God does not want people to forget and be indifferent to the souls who are being purified and burned in purgatory while they are still alive; because these souls are very thirsty and waiting for the sacrifices and good deeds of everyone in the world to help atone for the sins they have committed. Because God has said that people can only atone for their sins right here on earth. When they die they can no longer do anything. When they enter purgatory, they can only wait for God's mercy to come to them through the prayers and sacrifices of people still alive in this world.
Today's Word of God also reminds everyone: look at the image of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came down from heaven to earth to redeem humanity and teaches us to help people live and do what God wants. This is so that when they leave this world, everyone will be able to enjoy the face of God. He sacrificed, died, and was resurrected to redeem the sins of mankind; thanks to that grace, when people are called out of this world by God, they will not have to undergo purification or atone for their sins as much.
To help souls soon enjoy the Holy Face of God. He called on everyone to love the souls in purgatory, to make all sacrifices to ask for His justice, fairness, and mercy to look upon the souls imprisoned in purgatory, to atone for their sins, and to help those souls soon enjoy the face of God.
This is the call of God to humanity today: have mercy on the souls in purgatory, because having mercy on the souls is also an opportunity to make merits for yourself later, so that when God calls you out of this world, thanks to those merits and sacrifices, your soul will be able to atone for your sins and soon enjoy the Holy Face of God in Heaven.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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