All Souls Day Homily 2024

Death does not have the final word.  We as Catholics, like anyone else in the world, mourn the loss of our friends and family members.  Grieving is a human thing to do - even Jesus mourned when Lazarus died!  But we also remember that St. Paul writes that our baptism is a death in itself; we who are baptized in Christ are baptized into his resurrection.  So while life on this earth will eventually end and with that comes sadness, we have a promise of a life everlasting thanks to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and his resurrection.  So we gather every All Souls Day to remember those who have died, to pray for them and the repose of their souls, and to pray for us who long to join them.  And we remember that the final word is not death's but rather Christ's, and his word is "Alleluia!"