All Souls: We are saved by our Savior’s risen life

All Souls: We are saved by our Savior’s risen life

Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, MSpS, observed All Souls Day with a Mass at San Fernando Cemetery No. 2 on Nov. 2, and began by acknowledging that death — like life itself — is a great mystery.

“Whether a loved one has died suddenly or after a long, lingering illness, we are never quite prepared for that moment; but we begin to realize that our lives are forever changed by the departure of our beloved family and friends. Meanwhile we walk in faith,” the archbishop said in his homily.

He continued, “For people without faith, death appears as an ending, utter destruction, meaningless. For people of faith, death is only a passage into eternity. It is a new beginning.”

Archbishop Gustavo quoted Wisdom 3:1-9: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God… they are in peace. The faithful shall abide with him in love.”

The archbishop explained that these words allow the faithful to continue our lives and honor our ancestors by the faithful way we live our lives. However, he added, those who have died live on, not just in our memory, but in la memoria — a mystery through which the person continues to be alive.

“When we gather around the altar for the Eucharist, we are truly united with all those who have gone before us. This is a great, wondrous mystery, but we believe this with our whole mind, heart, and imagination. We are a community of faith!” he exclaimed.

The San Antonio prelate emphasized that listeners remember and pray for those who have died among families and friends — those who were holy and those who, perhaps, were sinners.

The Missionary of the Holy Spirit then asked for prayers for those in purgatory, to rejoice with those who are in heaven, and recognize the Lord is our shepherd.
“Let us draw near to the Good Shepherd because he alone can guide us along the way that leads to eternal life,” Archbishop Gustavo concluded. “He is the only one who can nourish the deepest hungers of our hearts. He is the source of our hope for the future.

He wants to walk with us, to accompany us on our pilgrim way that leads to eternal life.”

The archbishop closed by praying, “May Our Lady, la Morenita, be with us today as she is with our departed family and friends — embracing us with the love of God’s own mother.”