The celebration of All Souls follows that of All Saints. Today thousands of people visit cemeteries to pay their last respects towards their loved ones. In Malta in particular, families decorate tombstones with flowers, candles and photos. They offer Masses for the deceased and memorialize them with notices in the newspapers, especially on their anniversaries. The celebration for All Souls started in the 11th century when St Odilo, an abbot in the Monastery at Cluny chose the day after All Saints to memorialize the dead friars of his order and all Benedictines. From then on the celebration for all the souls in purgatory was held on November 2. Let us pray especially today for those who have left us this year, and let us also pray for their loved ones. Eternal rest grant unto them o Lord, and may the perpetual light shine on them.
We seem to give them back
to you, Lord, you who gave them to us. We treasured them as long as we had them
among us. Now, following their example, we will imitate them, and pray that
others will also follow their example. Yet, as we did not lose them in giving,
so we do not lose them by their return from us to You. We became richer because
they lived among us. But we did not become impoverished when we lost them. Our
loss is your gain, o Lord. And we know that life is eternal, and Love is
immortal. And death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing but the limit
of our own sight. Our perspective is only limited. But with You, o Lord, there
is not limit. Lift us up strong Son of God, that we may see further. Cleanse
our eyes that we may see more clearly. Draw us close to yourself that we may
know ourselves to be nearer to our Loved Ones, who are now with You in heaven.
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