33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Dear Epiphany Family, 

We are halfway through the month of November which is dedicated to the Holy Souls in purgatory. The weekend of October 31st-November 1st (the Feast of All Saints) we remembered in prayer the deceased of our parish over the past year. We give thanks to God for how they have blessed us and pray that if they are still in need of further purification to attain the joys of heaven God would hasten their full union with Him. While we are all called to holiness and to become saints in this life, perhaps many of us will also need this purification at the end of our lives as well. We should remember to pray for the dead each day, which has traditionally been practiced as an addition to our before or after meal prayers. 

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. 

Praying for the dead as well invites us to consider what really matters as we will all die one day ourselves. It is an invitation for us to surrender our lives to Jesus, trusting in His victory over sin and death. We look forward in hope, not fear, because we trust in the Father’s goodness and mercy and are called the abundant life here (cf. John 10:10). Still my hope after I die is that people will remember me in their prayers. Let us not forget those who have gone before us. 

In Christ, 
Father Eric