The Church traditionally begins the month of November with two important celebrations: All Saints' Day on Nov. 1, and All Souls' Day on Nov. 2. The entire month is dedicated especially to praying for the deceased.
Pope Francis, on several occasions, has explained the role of death in the life of a Christian, saying that “death reminds us of the impossibility of being, understanding and encompassing everything.”
POPE FRANCIS
October 2019
'It is a slap in the face to our illusion of omnipotence. It teaches us in life to relate to mystery. The confidence of jumping into the void and realizing that we do not fall, that we do not sink; that since always and forever there is someone there who sustains us. Before and after the end.'
The Pope has also emphasized the importance of remembering and praying for the faithful departed. He said that prayers “offered in confident trust” that the deceased “now live with God” can be helpful to people still on earth.
POPE FRANCIS
Nov. 5, 2020
'They instill in us a true vision of life; they reveal to us the meaning of the trials we must endure to enter the kingdom of God; they open our hearts to true freedom and inspire us unceasingly to seek eternal riches.'
Pope Francis has often explained that an awareness of death can and should inform our daily actions as Christians, inspiring us to serve others and look toward eternal life after death.
POPE FRANCIS
Nov. 4. 2019
'Before making any important decision, we should imagine ourselves standing before God at the end of time. That is the final and inevitable moment, one that all of us will have to face. Every life decision, viewed from that perspective, will be well directed, since it is closer to the resurrection, which is the meaning and purpose of life.'
Pope Francis has used the example of Job, who despite his suffering, lived with the certainty that he would one day see God.
POPE FRANCIS
Nov. 2, 2020
'This certainty, precisely in the final moments of life, is Christian hope. That hope is a gift we cannot obtain alone. It's a gift for which we must ask: 'Lord, give me hope.''
Remembering and praying for the dead; living with the hope of eternal life; and constantly turning to God are the Pope's proposals to be “inoculated against...the fear that everything will end.”
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