THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, NOVEMBER 8, 2026
Reading 2 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.
REFLECTION
Today is the last day of the Octave of the Faithful Departed. In Mexico, where I'm from, we celebrate starting the evening of October 31/first thing November 1st. Where we create a special setup in a prominent place in our homes pictures of our departed family members and friends.
Many people visit the cemeteries the evening of November 1st, clean the tombs, bring flowers, pray for their departed, and have a picnic.
At home, the so called "altar of the dead" (not a true altar, this is not necromancy), is filled with flowers and decorations proper for the day. We pray the rosary everyday for the repose of their souls, and tell stories of who these people were and what they meant to us. We also enjoy some of the favorite foods of the people portrayed in the pictures. In popular culture, there is even a joke that says that Mexican food is so good, that we return from the dead to enjoy it once again.
All jokes aside, sometimes I ponder if we instill these customs in our children, so tradition is not lost, or if I do this so they eventually would remember and pray for us when we have gone to our just reward.
In any case, today is the last day of the Octave to obtain a plenary indulgence. The usual conditions apply, plus visit to a cemetery and to pray for the dead. It is a beautiful thing that so easily can obtain this indulgence, and then give it to a soul in purgatory that truly needs it now. How about if we offered it for a priest or religious who is in purgatory? Wouldn't it be great to have a priestly saint to intercede for us? To intercede for our apostolate? Think about it.
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine, et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Requiéscant in pace. Amen.
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