Remembering our deceased loved ones in November

by Fr. John Granato  |  11/05/2023  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

The Liturgical season is winding down. November 26 is the last Sunday of the Liturgical year, which since the reform of the liturgy in 1970 has been called Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, commonly shortened to Christ the King. (In the traditional liturgy, the last Sunday in October is Christ the King.) The following Sunday, December 3, we begin the season of Advent.

November is a time when we not only pray for our deceased loved ones, but we also have readings at Mass that focus on the themes of death, judgment, heaven and hell (the four last things). It is a time when we reflect on our own humanity and our mortality. This meditation on mortality flows beautifully into the meditation on Christ as King and the first Sunday of Advent when we meditate on our Lord’s Second Coming. We could say, though, that the Second Coming of Christ is really the third coming, since he comes to us every Sunday in the Holy Eucharist.

So as we enter into November and remember our deceased loved ones, we say the beautiful prayer that Holy Mother Church gives us, “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.”