By Fr. Glenn Jones:

Happy November everyone! Hard to believe we’re nearing the end of 2025 already. Ah, precious time. It’s like the words of that country song about the centenarian: “Don’t blink…A hundred years goes faster than you think.”

Yep, the time goes fast, and before you know it, we all inevitably look at the end of earthly life. Society tends to look at that end as tragic, but we Christians … not so much. As God is the master of life, we should not seek, and certainly never hasten, the end of life, but our greatest hope lies after this life with a future life with Him. As St. Paul so famously wrote: “it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:20-27) And in another place: “we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord … We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

Now, this time of year we see news articles about “El Día de Los Muertos”—the day of the dead. What’s that about? 

Well, there’s really two days of “the dead”—All Saints Day (November 1) and All Souls Day (November 2) are liturgical celebrations that draw on both Scriptural roots and early Christian tradition. These two days, closely linked, embody the Church’s understanding of the Communion of Saints, the reality of Christian hope, and the transforming power of prayer—especially for the dead.

All Saints Day is a celebration of those whom Christ has redeemed and who are now with God in Heaven. Its biblical foundation is especially visible in the Book of Revelation: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10). It’s a triumphant and joyful vision of the saints who now enjoy the fullness of life in God.

Christians have always honored the memory of the martyrs, later expanding to include all the faithful who now dwell with God in heaven, testifying to the Christian conviction that holiness is the vocation of every believer, not just for a select few. The universal call to holiness, so clearly expressed in Matthew 5:48 (“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”), is the foundation of this annual celebration of all the saints—both known and unknown—who have persevered in Christ.

All Souls Day, celebrated each November 2, follows All Saints Day. Whereas the first day honors those already perfected in Christ, All Souls Day is dedicated to interceding for “all the faithful departed”—those still “being purified” (cf. Catholic Catechism par. 1030). The day’s Scriptural basis is found in the practice of praying for the dead, most explicitly in 2 Maccabees 12:45: “Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.” Such prayers assume that the dead can benefit from the intercession of the living, a concept accepted by the witness of Christian antiquity. And while our Protestant Christian brethren generally do not accept the books of Maccabees as divinely inspired, Catholics and Orthodox—about three-fourths of Christians—do. The books of Maccabees are, in fact, in the Gutenberg Bible, predating the Reformation and indicating earlier universal acceptance.

The Epistles of Paul also offer support for this belief of purifying. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 3:15, Paul describes how “if any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire”, hinting at a postmortem purification distinct from either damnation or immediate beatitude.

The Fathers of the Church recognized the importance of praying for the dead from earliest days. Tertullian (c. 155–c. 240) testifies to the Christian practice of commemorating the dead, particularly at the anniversaries of their death, by offering prayers on their behalf. St. Augustine, in “The City of God”, states, “The whole Church observes this custom … handed down by the Fathers, that prayers are offered for those who have died in the communion of the body and blood of Christ …” Augustine recognized that not all are perfect at death, and that the journey to full communion with God may involve a purification. Thus, All Souls Day is rooted in both faith and charity: the living exercising spiritual works of mercy for those who have gone before.

Both feasts point to the Christian hope in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52; John 6:39-40). The prayers and Masses of All Souls reflect not despair, but hope—a hope rooted in Christ’s victory over death and the assurance that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them” (Wisdom 3:1). By placing these feasts together, Christians are reminded of our destiny in Christ and the duty to pray for those who have passed, confident in the mercy and love of God who “is not God of the dead, but of the living” (Mark 12:27).

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“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” (Revelation 14:13)

Editor’s note: Rev. Glenn Jones is the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and former pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Los Alamos.