St. Benedict Catholic Church in Phoenix shared a recent reflection from Fr. Wilfred Yinah on the Solemnity of All Saints.

“Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints which allows us to experience the joy of being part of the great family of God’s friends,” Fr. Yinah said in the church's Nov. 1 bulletin. “The liturgy again presents the expression full of surprise of the Apostle John: 'See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 John 3:1).'"

We are adopted sons and daughters of Christ, and it is through the sacrament of baptism that we are brought to life and become saints. 

As the Book of Revelation tells us, God does not discriminate unjustly based on where we are from, but rather all are welcomed at the end of their lives. 

“For this reason, it is very significant and appropriate that, after the feast of All Saints, the liturgy makes us celebrate tomorrow the commemoration of all the deceased faithful," Yinah said. "The ‘communion of saints’ which we profess in the creed is a reality that is constituted here, but which will be fully manifested when we see God ‘as he is.’” 

As Catholics, we believe not only that death does not separate us, but that we have a bond of “spiritual solidarity” with the faithful departed. This is a bond that we can help to fortify by praying and taking part in the Eucharist.

“In the Mystical Body of Christ, the souls of the faithful meet, surmounting the barrier of death; pray for one another, realize in charity a profound exchange of gifts,” Fr. Yinah said. “With this dimension of faith is also understood the practice of offering prayers for the repose of the deceased through the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ, who has opened to believers the entrance to eternal life.”