Chapter Chaplain's Homily Reflection - HELD IN THE HAND OF GOD

HELD IN THE HAND OF GOD
Today, we stand at the sacred threshold of memory and mystery. All Souls Day is not merely a liturgical observance—it is a communal act of love. We gather to remember our beloved dead, to pray for them, and to renew our hope in the God who does not forget.
It begins with a recognition that each believer faces a judgement after death (Heb 9:27), and that while heaven belongs to believers, it is not every one that dies goes to heaven. As Jesus puts it, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven" (Matthew 7:2; 24:13). What this means is that after judgment the result will basically be either pass or fail, go to heaven or to hell. However, there may be those who are not bad enough to be thrown into hell and not good enough to be admitted right away to heaven.
The Apostle John tells us about mortal and venial sins: “If you see your brother or sister committing what is not a mortal sin, you will ask, and God will give life to such a one – to those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin that is mortal; I do not say that you should pray about that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not mortal” (1 John 5:16-17). If believers who die without sin go to heaven, and believers who die in mortal sin go to hell, where do believers who die in a state of venial sin go? The answer is purgatory, where they can make up for their imperfection before being admitted to the company of the saints in heaven.
Purgatory is the remedial class for heaven-bound souls. Souls who go to purgatory are those who have been judged worthy of heaven, but not straightaway. They still need some purification (purgation) before they are ready for heaven. They may not be far removed from “the souls of the just who are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” This is not poetic sentiment—it is divine assurance. Those who walked among us in faith, who suffered, who loved, who died—are not lost. They are held. Held in mercy. Held in light. Held in the hand of God. We carry their names in our hearts. We speak them aloud in prayer. We light candles not to chase away darkness, but to proclaim that Christ is the Light that no death can extinguish.
And Jesus himself assures us: “This is the will of my Father, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day.” This is the promise we cling to. Not one soul entrusted to Christ is forgotten. Not one tear shed in love is wasted.
So, today we celebrate two realities – human imperfection and God’s love and mercy which does not abandon the souls of our departed brothers and sisters in the faith even when they did not measure up to the ideals of Christian perfection. In this, All Souls becomes a celebration of hope in resurrection.
Paul reminds us that “hope does not disappoint.” Why? Because it is grounded not in our feelings, but in the Cross. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He rose so that death would no longer be the final word. In baptism, we were buried with him. In faith, we rise with him. So today, let us do three things:
1. Remember with love. Visit the graves. Speak their names. Share their stories. Let memory become prayer.
2. Pray with trust. Offer Masses. Light candles. Pray the Rosary. Trust that our prayers matter—not because we are perfect, but because God is merciful.
3. Live with hope. Let this day remind us that our lives are a pilgrimage. That holiness matters. That love endures. That heaven is real.
In this we profess our belief that, just as God has not stopped loving these poor souls because of their imperfections, neither have we. For us the belief in purgatory is Good News: even though we may not in this life be perfect as our heaven father is perfect (Matthew 5:48) we can still hold fast to the hope that there are mansions for us in the kingdom of heaven.
May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
And may we live as people of resurrection. Amen.

Chaplain

Arrowhead Desert Valley Chapter