Location: San Fernando Cemetery II
Every year, on this Commemoration of All Souls, we pray for those who have gone before us, asking God to purify and bring them to His presence in their heavenly home. The Scriptures give us insight into this mysterious journey of the soul. We hear in the Book of Wisdom: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” The righteous may have faced suffering in this life, yet they now find peace and are secure in God’s embrace.
In the Gospel of Luke, someone asked Jesus, “‘Lord, will only a few people be saved?’ He answered them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door… (13:23-24). Notice that Jesus does not answer the question. His response has a twofold interpretation. The narrow door represents the path to holiness following the Lord’s new commandment: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (Jn 13:34).
On a different occasion, the disciples asked Jesus, “‘Then who can be saved?’ And he said, ‘What is impossible for human beings is possible for God.’” (Lk 18:27).
In any case, Jesus calls us to carry our cross and follow Him, to die to ourselves, to let go of all that keeps us from God. This is a path not of earthly glory but of love, self-sacrifice, and complete trust in God. The narrow way leads to Heaven. We must walk it with our hearts set on the things of God. At the same time, both our life and our prayer for the deceased must be full of trust and hope in God’s mercy.
The journey of the soul after death is one of purification for many, as we believe in Purgatory, where souls are cleansed before entering Heaven. This purification is like gold tested in the fire, as Wisdom tells us. It is a final preparation for God’s presence, for nothing impure can enter His sight. It is not punishment, but rather God’s merciful love refining us, preparing us to behold Him.
Our prayers for the dead, our Masses, and sacrifices help these souls on their journey. United with them through the communion of saints, our prayers strengthen them, just as they intercede for us. This communion assures us that love does not end at death but continues in the life to come. Speaking of the Lord’s Cross, Pope Francis has said, “Having become the tree of life, that wood of death reminds us that God’s beginnings often begin with our endings.”
And so, as we remember our loved ones, we hold fast to the hope that in Christ, death is not the end. “Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me…” (Ps 23). We look forward to the day when, by God’s grace, we will be united with them in His presence, for as Jesus promises, “everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” (Jn).
May Our Lady of Guadalupe lead our loved ones and us to share in the Heavenly Banquet.
