ALL SOULS DAY

A boy was asked the meaning of R.I.P and in answer he said it means “Return If Possible”. While the celebration of yesterday (All Saints Day) threw us into feasting and jubilation, that of today (All Souls Day) reminds us that our earthly sojourn has an end, and that there would be no second chance. One beautiful thing about death is that it is one thing that no one can escape from. The existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger once said, “Once born, man is too old enough to die”. Another thinker says “death is more universal than life because everyone dies, but not everyone lives”. The celebration this day (2^nd November) is aimed at preparing us for the inevitable moment when everything will disintegrate. It also reminds us that some of our brothers and sisters who have answered the great summon already, need our prayers since on their own they cannot go far. The Church also teaches that when they are finally liberated, they in turn become our benefactors. There is none of us today who can say he has not been touched by this cold phenomenon called death. Today, we are called to help roll back the stones covering the graves of our dead relations, friends and all who have passed on in St Anthony’s church, so that God’s light which is the resurrection may shine into those graves. May God grant eternal rest to the faithful departed and forever shine His perpetual light upon them-Amen.