Reflection for November 2, Monday; the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls): John 11:17-27

Gospel: John 11:17-27

17 When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. 18 As Bethany is near Jerusalem, about two miles away, 19 many Jews had come to Martha and Mary, after the death of their brother, to comfort them. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. 

21 Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.” 25 But Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 Martha then answered, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

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Reflection:

Do you want to die now? Surely you do not want to die now for we all want to live longer. However death is a certainty of life. Somewhere along our journey in this world we will get sick and we die. 

Today is All Souls’ Day, we reserve this day to remember our departed love ones. Have you already offered Holy Mass for the eternal repose of their souls and are they always part of your prayers?  We always beseech Jesus to remember our departed love ones whenever we offer Holy Mass and prayers for them. 

Like our love ones who’ve gone ahead of us we too will come to the point of death. But we have nothing to fear about our mortality for it’s simply death of our mortal body. Death can do nothing to us we are in fact forever immortal in spirit if we have Jesus in our life. Our spirit will continue to live even if our physical body dies because we have faith and belief in Jesus.   

In our gospel Jesus tells us, I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26). Do you believe these pronouncements of Jesus? If you believe you truly will never die even if the time comes that your mortal body dies.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas