Christ’s Church consists of both the living and the dead. The living form the Pilgrim Church, which travels along the path towards the eternal home for which God created us, struggling against temptation to sin. The dead, who form the Church Triumphant, have completed their journey and now enjoy the full vision of God. The Feast of All Souls, which we celebrate today, consists of those who have died but are still moving into the full light of God’s love. We remember these in our prayer, that this journey will soon be at an end. We also ask for their prayers in the knowledge that their care for us does not end in death.
We mourn our loved ones; but they haven’t gone away. Many cultures celebrate the memory of their ancestors. We benefit by recalling the goodness of the people we have known and the contribution they made to our lives. In the beautiful, sad month of November, with the falling leaves and the long dark nights, it is easier to think about the nearness of our world and the other.
The liturgy of today is full of hope. Isaiah pictures heaven by using the earthly image of a banquet of rich food. The gospel tells the story of the compassion of Jesus for the widow of Nain, who had lost both her husband and son; apart from her very real grief, she would have known probably that she was now destitute. The raising of her dead son to life reminds us that we are in the constant care of a merciful God, who at the end “will wipe away the tears from every cheek”.