November 2, 2026
Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day)
Gospel: Mt 5:1–12a

Today the Church commemorates the faithful departed. Pope Benedict XVI taught us: Today, we reaffirm our hope in eternal life, a hope that is truly founded upon Christ’s death and resurrection. The Lord tells us: “I have risen and am always with you”; my hand sustains you. Wherever you fall, you will fall into my hand; even at the threshold of death, I am there. There, where no one can accompany you and you can take nothing with you; there I shall await you, to turn your darkness into light. Yet the Christian hope is not only personal; it is always a hope held for others. Our lives are intimately bound together, and the good and evil each of us does invariably affect others. Therefore, the prayers of souls still on pilgrimage in this world can assist another soul undergoing purification after death. This is precisely why the Church invites us today to pray for our departed loved ones and to pause at their graves in cemeteries.

Today, the passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew reveals to us the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I believe this is exactly why the Church chose this Gospel reading — to offer us some consolation as we commemorate the departed. This reminds me of the text from the eighth day of the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which I would like to share with you: Today, we are invited to gaze again upon the Sacred Heart of Jesus — the Heart that, out of love for us, bore the weight we carry, and in meekness reveals to us the face of the merciful Father, inviting us to come to Him, lay down our burdens, and find peace and joy. This is precisely the spirit we are called to live out in our daily lives. As I mentioned in my 2022 reflection for the Week of Prayer: We often find ourselves constrained by our habitual ways of acting and our accustomed ways of seeing the world. When these ways, or “paths,” are blocked, we wonder how to move forward and continue the journey. Yet God’s will is there to show us that another way has been prepared for us. When we encounter obstacles, God is there to renew the covenant and raise us up from discouragement. We need only believe in Him who gives us light and is ever-present. When our paths and ways are blocked, we can always find a way forward. When we are willing and open to the working of the Holy Spirit, a new beginning is always possible. As the Church, we constantly look back to seek the true light, look ahead to explore new paths, so that we may continue to shine with the light of the Gospel by new grace, and as Christians, mutually welcome one another for the glory of God. (cf. Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Eighth Day of the 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)

On this Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, I also invite you, brothers and sisters in Christ, to pray for the mercy of God for all deceased clergy and all our brothers and sisters in the faith, especially for those souls in Purgatory who are forgotten by all. May the infinitely compassionate God, according to His holy will, mitigate their sufferings in Purgatory, and graciously grant them to return soon to their heavenly home, to enjoy forever the glorious face of the Most Holy Trinity, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Saints in Heaven. Amen.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica