Each week, Fr. Jim Sabak, OFM, a Franciscan friar of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, helps listeners meditate upon and contemplate this past Sunday’s readings and prepare for the week ahead. The readings can be accessed here. Inbreaking of the Word is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
EDITED TRANSCRIPT: Peace and all good from Franciscan Media. I’m Father Jim Sabak, and this is Inbreaking of the Word.
We’ve entered the 31st week in Ordinary Time. There are four weeks left in our liturgical year, taking us to the end of November, when Advent begins. Although this is the 31st week, we did not celebrate the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. Instead, it was preempted by the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed—All Souls’ Day—on November 2nd. Some people, especially across social media, decry this as a terrible aberration, arguing that Sunday should never be displaced and that the reformed Roman calendar of Paul VI wrongly allows All Souls to take precedence over a Sunday of the Lord. But every day belongs to the Lord, so Jesus is never shortchanged. People will always find things to squawk about—especially if you fall into the wrong corners of the Internet.
It is perfectly legitimate to preempt a Sunday for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. This day honors all our brothers and sisters who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith. It powerfully demonstrates God’s sovereignty over life and death. We need this reminder, because we often forget: death is not the ultimate separation, nor is it unconquerable. Yes, there is grief—real grief—whenever someone or something dies: physically, emotionally, relationally, or socially. Mourning is natural. But we are not meant to remain there. We are not made for death. We are made for life—life that never ends.
God, who creates life, cannot be undone by death. This is the heart of All Souls’ Day. There is no fixed set of readings; presiders may choose from a rich treasury of texts, all proclaiming God’s victory over sin, darkness, and death. Ours is a God of joy, who leads us beyond dead ends and human limitations. We are more than sin, more than death—because we are created in the image and likeness of God, who is light and life.
All Souls’ Day invites us to remember the faithful departed and our enduring connection to them. In the Middle Ages, it became focused on praying for “poor souls in purgatory”—a valid doctrine, but not the day’s original or fullest meaning. The deeper, older purpose is to recall those who have died in faith, trusting they now live in eternal glory. We hope they have not rejected the love that meets them after death—a love that can feel overwhelming to those whose lives were filled with torment, anger, or sadness. God waits patiently for them, as St. Paul reminds us: God desires that all be saved. If even one soul is lost forever, in a sense, God would have failed—and God cannot fail.
This commemoration began in the early Middle Ages with St. Odilo of Cluny, a Benedictine abbot who established November 2nd as a day to remember the dead. It falls naturally in the Northern Hemisphere, when nature itself seems to die: leaves fall, trees go dormant, days grow colder and darker. It’s a fitting time to reflect on mortality—but also on what comes after. Judgment awaits, yes—but it is always in our favor, because God loves us. Death is not punishment; it is the continuation of life, the deepening of our belonging to God’s very good creation. In many cultures—far beyond the somber traditions of Northern Europe—this is a day of joyful reconnection. In the Latin American Día de los Muertos, in Italian and Mediterranean customs, families visit cemeteries, share meals, and celebrate the unbreakable bonds with those who have gone before us. These relationships continue to give us life, hope, and strength to persevere as witnesses of the Gospel. This week we also remember:
- November 4th: St. Charles Borromeo, who worked to implement the reforms of the Council of Trent after the Protestant Reformation.
- November 5th and 6th: The commemoration of all departed members of the Franciscan family—those who bore the spirit of Francis and Clare.
Connectedness makes us human. It is Christ’s Spirit that binds us as images of God. Perhaps the most powerful Gospel for All Souls is the raising of Lazarus—not primarily for the miracle itself, but for Martha’s faith. When Jesus arrives four days late, Martha confronts him: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Jesus replies, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live. Do you believe this?”
In the midst of grief, anger, and disappointment, Martha chooses faith: “Yes, Lord, I believe.” And because she believes, Lazarus is restored to her and Mary. That is our hope. That is our prayer. So this week, ask yourself:
What are the bonds that make me who I am?
How strong are they?
How do they reflect God’s life in me?
Peace and all good to you from Franciscan Media. May the Lord always give you his life—and life everlasting.