All Souls' Day

Chinese and the Catholic Church have quite a lot of things in common. Chinese honour their ancestors, remembering their contribution to our present existence. They celebrate a Hungry Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month to do spiritual almsgiving to wandering ghosts which do not have any descendants to remember them. That's why they are hungry and it is a charity to feed them during this Hungry Ghost Festival.
The Catholic Church also celebrates a similar feast to help souls which nobody remembers, especially those going through purgation in the purgatory. This is the All Souls' Day. It is good to celebrate All Souls' Day because it is a charity work. It also reminds us of an important article of faith --- the Communion of Saints. Traditionally, the Catholic Church saw herself as a 3-tier church: the Victorious Church, the Pilgrim Church and the Suffering Church. The Victorious Church are saints and angels who are living in heaven, who have received their crowns of glory. The Suffering Church consists of souls which temporarily cannot go to heaven. They need to spend time in the purgatory to weed themselves of their venial sins which prevent them from going to heaven directly. We are the Pilgrim Church on earth. We are embarking on a trek home. We need the prayers and intercessions from the Victorious Church. Similarly, the Suffering Church needs our prayers and intercessions as well. By the time the souls in the purgatory have served their term, they will go to heaven and pray for us in return.
Fr. Patrick Sun shared with us an intimate experience of his about these souls in the Purgatory. When he was still studying in primary school, his mother used to bring him to a Carmel nun in Stanley to pray for him whenever he sat for examinations. When he graduated from the Seminary, the Superiors told him that he had not met the requirements to be a priest. That summer, the seminarians attended a retreat in the Xavier House in Cheung Chau to think over their decisions before ordination.
One night at around 11:30 p.m. after saying all the daily services and vesper, Patrick was sitting alone in the chapel to pray. The chapel was not lit. Suddenly, Patrick sensed the existence of a spirit sitting next to him. Immediately, he was able to recognize that it was the Carmel nun who used to pray for his examination results. This time, it was different. She was a spirit. He could clearly sense her total being, her character, her love of Christ, her strong sense of jealousy. Patrick had never experienced with such clarity her personality before. A spirit is able to reveal itself totally without any obstacle, any hindrance. Patrick strongly felt her support, like what she used to do for him when she was alive. She supported his ordination. After a while, she left and Patrick was relieved.
Now that Fr. Patrick is ordained, he has no doubt about the reality and authenticity of the spiritual realm. More than that, he feels strongly the love of Christ, probably through that encounter with the Carmel nun. Jesus so loved us that he was willing to empty himself, to pour out his blood and his love on the cross. His great love enhances our sense of self-worth. We are valuable in the eyes of Jesus. Then, how can we do things detrimental to our own well-being? How can we sin to tread ourselves on the ground? We should love ourselves, do things for our well-being.
In the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles he would be leaving them, returning to the Father to prepare rooms for them. They knew the way where he was going (John 14:4). Thomas asked Jesus how they could know the way. Jesus then said the most quoted verse:
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)
In Jesus, we are able to know the way. In Jesus, we are able to know the truth and in Jesus, we are able to obtain life, eternal life.

My dear Advocate, the feast of All Souls reminds us that we have an eternal life waiting up there for us. We need to work hard, not just to gain our own salvation but to fight for the salvation of others as well. Amen.