The Feast of All Souls, Tuesday, November 2, 2021

2 Corinthians 6:16–7:1

God says: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. And I will be their God: and they shall be my people. Wherefore: Go out from among them and be ye separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you. And will be a Father to you: and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”  Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God. 

The reading above from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians is not one of the official options for the Feast of All Souls, but the lectionary gives wide latitude on this occasion, and it seems to explain better than others what this day is about.

“I will dwell in them and walk among them.”  Paul is quoting from Leviticus 26, 11-14 here.  The passage runs: “I will make my abode among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; and I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect” (Leviticus 26, 11-23).  God is speaking to the people during their journey in the Sinai after leaving Egypt.  He desires to live among them, if only they will obey his Law, which he is giving them.  He will dwell among them, that is, in aiding them in their efforts and trials, and defending them from the many enemies they will face after they enter the Promised Land.  These words were fulfilled with the Incarnation of the Son of God, who literally walked among us in his desire for us to be his people.

“Go out from among them and be ye separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing.”  This refers to ritual purity, which allows a Jew to participate in the worship of God.  We can understand this as how those who belong to Jesus must detach themselves from the pleasures and enticements of this world in order to give themselves entirely to him.  So many of us straddle so that we have one foot in this world and the other on the path that leads to Jesus.  We cannot continue like this, but must decide on one or the other.  “And I will receive you.”  The Lord actively receives us when we set both of our feet on his road.  He does not leave us to our own devices once we have determined to follow him but assists us with each step.  “And will be a Father to you: and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”  God become our Father when we are baptized and are made members of the Body of his Son.  He is not a distant ruler whose laws are arbitrary and benefit only him.  He is a Father who speaks to us through his Son and who desires to be intimate with us.

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.”  After quoting Leviticus, Paul speaks in his own words.  He has set before us God’s yearning for us and what we must do to follow him.  Now Paul tells us more specifically that we must “cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit.”  This cleansing ought to be done here on earth through works of penance such as prayer, fasting, and alms-giving.  If we depart this life before this cleansing is accomplished, we are brought into Purgatory, where our sins are “purged”, scoured, from us.  Not even the slightest taint of sin may remain, and at the same time, our love and desire for God is perfected: “perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.”  That is, sins committed out of weakness are purged.  We call these “venial” sins.  Sins committed out of malice — “mortal sins” — cannot be purged after death because the end of our life on earth means the end of all opportunity to repent.  Our desires are hardened, as it were, or come to maturity, either for God alone or for self alone.  Sins committed out of malice are radically different from sins committed out of weakness as direct and deliberate attacks on the law of God and render us without grace and outside of God’s friendship.  

On this feast we pray for the souls of the faithful departed whose weaknesses continue to be cleansed in the world to come.  While we pray for them let us avail ourselves of their prayers as well, for they remain members of the Body of Christ — indeed, their bonds to Christ are strengthened at this time.  And let us repent and do penance now so that we may fly directly to heaven after our own passing from this world.