Reflection 8 - Holy Souls

 

A wise man once wrote ‘I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand but in what direction we are moving’. The direction is all important; the direction beyond. In St Luke’s Gospel Chapter 7:12 Jesus stands near the gate of the town. Gates are significant in our lives; closed, computerized; open. They clarify our boundaries for others and ourselves. We also speak of the gates of Heaven.

 

In November we honour the souls of our deceased loved ones; those remembered; those forgotten; those surrounded; those abandoned in their dying and their death. Each of us recalls as appropriate the ‘souls’ of those who loved us and whom we have loved. The souls, some of whom have already reached Heaven and some of whom are still on their way to that blessed place. The Feast of All souls (November 2^nd) calls us forth in prayer. We are called forth within our faith tradition and in this case (Roman Catholic). We pray for; we honour the souls of our loved ones.

 

Where there is soul there is beauty;
where there is soul there is love

Where there is soul there is life;
where there is soul there is hope.

 

Soul surrounds so many dimensions of our lives; soul holds together all of life. We speak of a person being a kindly or a lovely soul. What do we mean? They reflect for us something of the inner life that is so necessary that is void of the mess of the external and a beauty shines from within them.

 

So we honour; we remember; we pray for the souls of our faithful departed brothers and sisters. We do so very specially within our faith tradition in the context of the Mass which is our source of comfort; unity and healing. Through the gift of the Mass we receive healing and hope. It is in this great sacrament that we receive the gift of hope. A hope in ourselves and a hope to continue living just for today. We are gifted with an inner strength. The Prophet Isaiah 25:9 speaks to us ‘The Lord is the one we have hoped in’ In Psalm 17 we pray ‘Hope in Him; hold firm and take heart; hope in the Lord’

 

Again if we go back to Luke 7 where we experience the powerful healing of Jesus in the lives of a mother and her son. What consolation. There is many a parent that would give anything to have the life of their son/daughter back. Jesus gave the young boy to his mother. We give our loved ones to God or at times they are taken from us; the giving is not ours. The Hymn prays: ‘Remember those O Lord who in your peace have died’ we do so this November time; this darkened time; we do so in Hope that they are at peace and that we will be consoled and healed. May their spirits support and console us.