Homily Notes for All Souls Day
Today’s Gospel speaks of a grain of wheat that must fall into the earth and die to bear fruit (see John 12:24). This image offers a helpful analogy for understanding why we celebrate All Souls Day. Let’s picture a beautiful garden:
- Above ground, we see blooming flowers — this represents heaven.
- Below the surface, seeds lie in the soil — this represents purgatory.
Yesterday, on All Saints Day, we focused on the garden of heaven, looking at the saints who are like beautiful flowers in God’s garden. Some of these saints spent time in the soil of purgatory, others did not, but all are now in full bloom in God’s heavenly garden. Among these flowers, certain ones have names we can recognize — these are canonized saints we honor and admire; others, some just as radiant and beautiful, we will only discover their names in heaven.
Today, on All Souls Day, we turn our attention to the holy souls in purgatory, represented by seeds in the soil. These souls died in a state of grace — that’s why they are firmly planted in God’s garden, but they are not yet ready to bloom. They remain in the darkness of the soil, undergoing a transformation from broken seeds to beautiful flowers, preparing to emerge one day in God’s garden.
Just as seeds cannot grow to flowers on their own, the souls in purgatory cannot pray or make sacrifices for themselves to hasten their journey. Some seeds are nearly ready to sprout today, others may take longer, and some will only reach full bloom at the end of time.
While we are still on earth, we serve as God’s gardeners. Just as a gardener waters, fertilizes, and tends to the soil to encourage growth, we too can help the holy souls with our prayers, sacrifices, and acts of charity. Although God remains ultimately in control of the entire process, He loves to allows us to cooperate with Him through our prayers and offerings, which can act like water and nourishment, helping these souls emerge from the dark soil of purgatory and blossom as radiant flowers in heaven.
During this time, from November 1-8, the Church offers a special opportunity to obtain plenary indulgences for the holy souls. Through our actions, we can participate in God’s mercy, helping these souls complete their journey to the fullness of life in heaven. This is a great act of love for our brothers and sisters, who like Job, long to see their Redeemer face to face in heaven!
See the Catholic Culture guide on obtaining indulgences for the holy souls: CatholicCulture.org
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