Pope at Angelus: Remembering the Dead Brings Hope for the Future

During the Angelus on the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the hope of the resurrection and the importance of remembering those who have passed away.

Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the significance of the early days of November, when the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. He said that during these days, “the resurrection of the crucified Jesus from the dead sheds light on the destiny of each one of us.”

Quoting the Gospel of John, he recalled Jesus’ words: “This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.”

Reflecting on this passage, the Pope highlighted that “the focus of God’s concerns is clear,” namely, “that no one should perish forever and that everyone should have their own place and radiate their unique beauty.”

A Communion That Unites Differences

Recalling the previous day’s celebration of All Saints, Pope Leo described it as “a communion of differences that, so to speak, extends God’s life to all his daughters and sons who wish to share in it.” He noted that every human being carries within them a longing “for recognition, attention and joy.” Citing Pope Benedict XVI’s Spe Salvi, he said that the expression “eternal life” gives a name to this desire — “not a succession of time without end,” he added, “but being so immersed in an ocean of infinite love that time, before, and after no longer exist.”

“This fullness of life and joy in Christ,” Pope Leo continued, “is what we hope for and await with all our being.”

Remembering Those Who Have Gone Before Us

The Holy Father then turned his attention to the Commemoration of All Souls, noting that “each time that death seems definitively to take away a voice, a face or an entire world, interiorly we understand God’s concern that no one perish. In fact, each person is an entire world.”

He reflected on the significance of memory, calling it “so precious and yet so fragile.” Without the memory of Jesus — “of his life, death and resurrection” — he said, “the immense treasure of daily life risks being forgotten.” Yet, in Christ, he added, “even those whom no one remembers, or whom history seems to have erased, always remain in their infinite dignity.”

A Hope That Looks Forward

Pope Leo reminded those gathered that Christians have always remembered the deceased in the Eucharist, “asking that those dear to them be remembered in the Eucharistic Prayer.” From this practice, he said, “arises the hope that no one will perish.”

He encouraged the faithful to let their visits to cemeteries become moments of “silence that interrupts the hustle and bustle of life,” urging them to remember and wait in hope. “As we say in the Creed: ‘I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.’”

“Let us commemorate, therefore, the future,” Pope Leo concluded, “for we are not enclosed in the past or in sentimental tears of nostalgia. Neither are we sealed within the present, as in a tomb.”

Courtesy: Vatican News