Gospel Thought for Today
2nd November: All Souls’ Day
Gospel: John 6:37-40
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 Gospel of the Lord.
Reflection:
“I will not reject anyone who comes to me”
The loss of a loved one can be painful especially if their death happened on a special occasion such as your birthday. One could hardly make sense of this. God definitely has an answer that we are unable to understand right now. All that He asks of us is to trust His plan. Jesus came to save us, to reconcile us with the Father, and to give us eternal life. Such is the greatness of His love that He will welcome anyone who approaches Him. The likes of Peter, Zacchaeus, the adulterous woman, and the Repentant Thief come into mind. In the Mass, we come to Him to be nourished by His Word and His Flesh and Blood. Today, He invites us to come to Him on behalf of all the faithful departed: those loved ones whose passing away left a void in our life, the holy souls in purgatory, and those for whom no one prays for. Charity prods us to offer prayers and sacrifices for them in the hope that they will share in Christ’s glory soon. When they do share in that glory, rest assured that they would also pray for us so that Jesus will also raise us “on the last day”. When that time comes, we will be reunited with our loved ones. Moreover, God will make His plan very clear to us.
- How often do you remember the faithful departed in your prayers?
- How do you make sense of recent deaths in your family or society brought about by the pandemic?
- When was the last time you experienced Jesus welcoming you back?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. Full of hope in Your Resurrection, we entrust to You all those who have passed away, especially our loved ones and those for whom no one remembers. Do not reject, but welcome them in Your Kingdom. Amen.
