Requiem

by

Prayer for the Repose of the Soul of Pope Benedict XVI

by

Papal Funeral Mass of Pope Benedict XVI will be on 5 January 2023

Pope Francis will preside over the Papal Funeral Mass of Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, 5 January 2023 at 9.30 am Central European Time (UTC + 1 hour)

by

Pope Benedict XVI (16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022)

Pope Benedict XVI, 265th Pope, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church has passed away peacefully at 9.34 am Rome time on the last day of the Year of Our Lord 2022, 31 December 2022.

May he rest in peace. Requeiscat in Pace.

by

Wednesday, 2 November 2022 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today after the All Saints’ Day, we commemorate with solemn remembrance the occasion of All Souls’ Day. This day we remember all those holy souls in purgatory, all those who have departed from this world and have yet to deserve the glory of Heaven. While we do not know exactly the fate of the souls of the dead, except those whom by virtue of their great and faithful living and by careful investigation and scrutiny of the Church, had been declared officially as saints and therefore meriting the beatific vision of Heaven, the other souls of the faithful generally will end up in purgatory, except of course those who have willingly and consistently rejected God, and refused to repent from their sins and wickedness.

Those who have rejected the Lord, refused His mercy and kindness, those who committed mortal sins and refused to repent from them, all these had closed the doors of salvation upon themselves. It was not God Who desired their destruction, as history had proven again and again how God wanted and desired for each and every one of us, His beloved children and people, to be reconciled and returned, reunited and brought back to His Presence. He reached out even to the most stubborn, wicked and unworthy amongst us, and some of them had a change of heart, and were saved. Some of them even became saints later on, and were great examples for us to follow Yet, many others continued to resist the Lord’s efforts, hardened their hearts and minds, and consequently, they were deemed unworthy at the particular judgment upon their passing from this world, and were sent to hell.

Mentioning this matter of judgment, this is where we need to know that according to the Church teachings, there are two types of judgment, namely the particular judgment that happens for every single one of us, at the moment when our earthly existence ends, and where we will be judged, and has been judged, for those who had gone before us, to three possibilities, either of Heaven, or purgatory, or hell. The last and final, general judgment, also known as the Last Judgment will then take place at the very end of time as the Scriptures highlighted, and that will determine our eternal fate. Yet, those who have been condemned to hell has no way out, as they had rejected God and refused to be reconciled to Him, and will be judged unworthy of God, and cast out of His Presence. And those who are in purgatory and Heaven, all will be considered worthy and good, and will enjoy forever the eternal joy of the Lord and with God.

Now, we have to understand then what purgatory is all about, as this commemoration today of All Souls’ Day is about all the faithful departed, those who are not yet worthy of God like the saints and blesseds, and yet, those that have not openly rejected the Lord and refused to repent to the very end. We have to first understand that God is perfect and all good in nature, and sin as evil and imperfection born out of disobedience against Him and perversion of His Law and truth has no place in His Presence. Therefore, sinners as we are, unless our sins are mostly overcome and minuscule in nature due to our many merits and righteousness, which would then have merited us straight entry into Heaven as what happened to the saints and blesseds, or for martyrs who shed their blood and laid down their lives for the sake of their faith and God, then for most of us, we are likely to end up in purgatory.

Purgatory is a place where the souls of the faithful dead remain for a time before they are finally allowed to go to Heaven and enjoy there the same beatific vision and joy together with the saints, blesseds and other martyrs, and other holy men and women whom God deemed already worthy of Heaven. Purgatory is a place where those who were already destined to Heaven have to wait because their lingering sins and all those that prevented them from coming near to God are cleansed from them. And contrary to popular belief, purgatory is not a place where the holy souls are tortured by fire, as where the term ‘flames of purgatory’ originated from. In truth, the holy souls in purgatory do suffer, but they suffer from the ‘purifying flames’ of the Spirit, and also from the regret of the sins that they had committed, and yet unforgiven.

In the Gospel, the Lord mentioned to His disciples how when two people were on their way to court, they should try their best to resolve their differences and be reconciled, or else, when the judgment comes, those who have to suffer the penalty, jail and all, will have to endure them and will not end until they have paid back every single debt and settle every single punishments they deserve. In the same way therefore, everyone has to account for all the sins they committed, which had not been forgiven by God and for which they had not been pardoned, before they can enjoy the eternal bliss, happiness and joy of Heaven. Those holy souls in purgatory are therefore still suffering and waiting for the time when the Lord will finally lead them into His heavenly glory at the end of their time there.

The greater the sins one have, the longer it is that they had to endure in purgatory, however, as the Church taught us and from Scriptural evidences, prayers for the dead by us the living and also by the intercession of the saints do matter. Through our prayers for the holy souls in purgatory, God may be moved to show mercy to them, and this may shorten the time that those souls have to endure in purgatory, by the virtues of the faith that we, the living and the saints have, and by the love which we show to those souls who are now suffering and enduring trials and purification in purgatory. And we must not forget that just as I mentioned at All Saints’ celebration yesterday, the saints, blesseds, holy men and women of God in Heaven, and also the holy souls in purgatory are part of one Church of God, the Universal Church.

The holy souls in purgatory are part of the Church Suffering just as we are part of the Church Militant, still living and enduring the hardships and challenges of this world, and just as the saints, blesseds and all those already in heavenly glory are part of the Church Triumphant. The whole entire Church are united in purpose, love and communion, by our sharing in the same Precious Body and Blood of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the Eucharist, and by our common baptism. And those who are not baptised yet, and those who have not yet known God are also open to salvation because it was not by their fault that they did not know God or His truth. Those holy souls in purgatory therefore include all those Christians and even non-Christians whom God deemed to be worthy of Him, and just having the venial sins and unforgiven faults that prevented them from coming to Heaven right away.

And as members of the same Church of God, each one of us therefore should not ignore those holy souls in purgatory, our own fellow brothers and sisters, who are in need of our help and company. Let us all not forget that as Christians, we have been taught by God to love one another just as we love God and ourselves. We must not be selfish and thinking of only our own salvation. Just as much as we are supposed to love our brothers and sisters in this world, helping those who are needy and those who are lacking in love and care, hence, we should also love and show our care for the holy souls in purgatory as well. Some of them are those whom we know, our own departed family members, relatives, friends and other loved ones.

And some of these holy souls in purgatory may have no one at all to pray for them. They also cannot pray for themselves, and depend on us and the saints to intercede for them. Therefore, this day, we should keep in mind just as we pray for the souls of our beloved ones who have departed before us, that we also commit to our prayers all the holy souls in purgatory who have no one praying for them. Let us not forget that we too one day will come into the end of our earthly existence, as death is something that all of us mortal beings have to experience and endure, and we may ourselves end up in purgatory. If we do not want to pray for those who are now suffering in purgatory, then what if that very same fate awaits us as well, brothers and sisters in Christ?

Therefore, today’s All Souls’ Day commemoration should also serve as a kind reminder to all of us that we are all called to lives that are more appropriate and worthy of God as Christians, that is as those whom God has called to be one of His own people, to be His flock, followers and disciples. To us, through His Church, Apostles and disciples, God has revealed His truth and love, and therefore, we are expected to lead a true Christian living and faith, and be truly faithful in all things, in our every words, actions and deeds, and not only just in mere appearances only. We have to be sincere and genuine in how we live our faith, if we have not done so.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us all therefore commit ourselves to righteous and virtuous Christian living from now on, and let us all be good examples of faith to one another, that we are always reminded of our mortality and our own eventual fate. If we seek to go to Heaven, then we should really do our very best to live our lives in accordance to what God has taught us to do through His Church and through His disciples. Let us all pray for our predecessors, the holy souls in purgatory, that God may show mercy upon them and bring them into the glory of Heaven as He wills it. May God bless all the holy souls in purgatory, and all of us here still living in this world. Amen.

by

Wednesday, 2 November 2022 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Luke 7 : 11-17

At that time, a little later after Jesus healed the servant of a captain in Capernaum, He went to a town called Naim. He was accompanied by His disciples and a great number of people. As He reached the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; there followed a large crowd of townspeople.

On seeing her, the Lord had pity on her and said, “Do not cry.” Then He came up and touched the stretcher, and the men who carried it stopped. Jesus then said, “Young man, I say to you, wake up!” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

A holy fear came over them all, and they praised God saying, “A great Prophet has appeared among us; God, has visited His people.” The news spread throughout Judea and the surrounding places.

by

Wednesday, 2 November 2022 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Romans 5 : 5-11

And hope does not disappoint us, because the Holy Spirit has been given to us, pouring into our hearts the love of God. Consider, moreover, the time that Christ died for us : when we were still helpless and unable to do anything. Few would accept to die for an upright person; although, for a very good person, perhaps someone would dare to die.

But see how God manifested His love for us : while we were still sinners, Christ died for us; and we have become just, through His Blood. With much more reason now He will save us from any condemnation. Once enemies, we have been reconciled with God through the death of His Son; with much more reason, now we may be saved, through His life.

Not only that, but we even boast in God because of Christ Jesus, our Lord, through Whom we have been reconciled.

by

Wednesday, 2 November 2022 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Psalm 26 : 1, 4, 7-9, 13-14

YHVH is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? YHVH is the rampart of my life; I will not be afraid.

One thing I ask of YHVH, one thing I seek – that I may dwell in His house all the days of my life, to gaze at His jewel and to visit His Sanctuary.

Hear my voice when I call, o YHVH, have mercy on me and answer. My heart says to You, “I seek Your face, o YHVH.” Do not hide Your face from me nor turn away Your servant in anger. You are my protector, do not reject me; abandon me not, o God my Saviour!

I hope, I am sure, that I will see the goodness of YHVH in the land of the living. Trust in YHVH, be strong and courageous, yes, put your hope in YHVH!

by

Wednesday, 2 November 2022 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Isaiah 25 : 6-9

On this mountain YHVH Sabaoth will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines, meat full of marrow, fine wine strained. On this mountain He will destroy the pall cast over all peoples, this very shroud spread over all nations, and death will be no more.

The Lord YHVH will wipe away the tears from all cheeks and eyes; He will take away the humiliation of His people all over the world : for YHVH has spoken. On that day you will say : This is our God. We have waited for Him to save us, let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.

by

Monday, 2 November 2020 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we all celebrate on the day after All Saints’ Day, the Feast of All Souls. On this All Souls’ Day, we commemorate all the souls of the faithful who have departed from this world. We remember our loved ones who have passed on and all others who have gone before us, those whose earthly lives and existences had come to an end.

On this All Souls’ Day, we pray for those holy souls in purgatory, those who are also part of the universal Church of God. They are the Church Suffering just as the glorious saints in Heaven are the Church Triumphant and we who are still living in this world are part of the Church Militant. We are all united as part of this same Church of God and through the Church we have been brought together as one family of people who have called God as our Father, Lord and Master.

While the saints have already attained the glory of Heaven, those holy souls in purgatory we are remembering and praying for today and throughout this whole month in particular are those who have yet to merit immediately the glory of Heaven. Their sins, unrepented and unforgiven, while judged by God not to be great enough to be condemned for eternity in hell, were significant enough that they could not enter immediately into heavenly glory unlike the saints.

They had passed through what the Church called as the ‘particular judgment’, which refers to the judgment of everyone’s souls right at the moment of their passing from the earthly life. This is distinct from the general judgment that will happen at the end of time, also better known as the Last Judgment, when everyone righteous will be judged to be worthy, and their bodies will be raised again and reunited with their holy souls, in a new glorious existence with God as described at the end of the Book of Revelations.

Thus, the holy souls in purgatory have been judged to be worthy and will never end up in hell, hence being considered as holy. It is a misconception to think that purgatory is a place in between heaven and hell, and that people may still end up in hell after purgatory. Those who have ended up in purgatory and will be there in time to come, which include many of us, not holy enough to be like the saints, or wicked enough to deserve hell, we shall endure the flames of purgatory on our way to Heaven.

What is purgatory like, brothers and sisters in Christ? There had been several descriptions of purgatory by the Church fathers, saints and other authors, but they agreed that purgatory while it is a place where the souls of the righteous were awaiting their entry into Heaven, but it is also a place of great suffering, not because of their wickedness but rather because their residual sins, unforgiven, that made them to suffer for their love of God.

Those who have significant sins and ended up in purgatory cannot come directly to the holy presence of God because no sin, no matter how small or insignificant it may be, can be in the presence of God. Thus, those in purgatory are waiting for the expiation or the atonement of their sins. They suffer because they all love God and to be in the presence of God, but they were not yet able to do so.

The flames of purgatory were often described in descriptions of purgatory, but in truth, the flames and the sufferings of purgatory are symbolic of the burning love of God that are in each and every one of the holy souls there. It is their burning love and desire to be with God, and the sorrow and repentance over the sins which prevented them from attaining the fullness of heavenly glory that made them to suffer.

It is indeed good that all these souls are already destined for Heaven, in time to come. For some, it will be shorter while others had to wait for longer time. But regardless of this, the suffering of the holy souls in purgatory is real, and some saints, including St. John Vianney have written their experiences of interacting with the souls in purgatory, as for example, in one occasion, saw the holy souls in purgatory and their sufferings, and how through prayer, and offering of the Holy Mass with intentions for those souls in purgatory, the souls were liberated and brought into heavenly glory.

Through what we have heard, discussed and listened today on the matter of the holy souls in purgatory, many of whom we may have known, and one day which may be our turn to be there in purgatory, we are all called to pray for the sake of those souls in purgatory still waiting for the complete expiation and purification from all of their sins and their residual evils, that had prevented them from being completely reunited with God.

We are praying for them because they cannot pray for themselves. And in fact, the saints are also constantly, daily, praying for all these holy souls that have yet to be able to join them in the glory of Heaven. We should also pray for them because we are after all, members of the same Church of God. If one part of the Body of Christ, the Church suffers hurt, then it is natural for all the other parts to feel the hurt and pain as well. Therefore, today, and throughout this whole month, as Pope Francis has recently extended the plenary indulgences for the holy souls in purgatory by the authority of the Church, let us all pray for the holy souls in purgatory, for all the faithful departed, and offer intentions in the Holy Mass for them, that the priests may offer the Mass for their sake.

Do not forget, brothers and sisters, that we ourselves are still on the journey as well. Because of that, we should keep in mind the sufferings of the holy souls in purgatory as a reminder that we ourselves must live as holy a life as possible in this world. Let us all distance ourselves from wickedness and sin, and repent from our sinful ways as soon as possible, if not now. Remember that every sins that we have, unrepented and unforgiven, will be judged against us on the day of the particular judgment when we die and pass on from this world, and also at the final judgment.

Let us pray for the holy souls in purgatory, so that one day, when we too are probably in purgatory ourselves, these holy souls who have gone before us to Heaven will then in turn pray for us, remembering our love and fraternal kindness, as brothers and sisters in the same Lord, that we, although separated between this world and purgatory, our bonds of faith in Christ remain the same, and remain strong as always. Let us all ask God for His mercy and compassion, on all of us, and on all those who are still now enduring the flames of purgatory. May God lead them all into His heavenly glory, in His good time, and by His enduring love for all of them. Amen.

by

Monday, 2 November 2020 : Feast of All Souls, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Black or Purple/Violet

Matthew 11 : 25-30

At that time, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise You; because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was Your gracious will.”

“Everything has been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For My yoke is easy; and My burden is light.”