As every year, on November 2, on the All Souls Day the Holy Mass was celebrated in the Chapel of the Polish House on Via Cassia for the souls of all faithful departed Friends and Benefactors of the John Paul II Foundation. Holy Mass was presided by Msgr. Mieczysław Niepsuj, Fr. Łukasz Kotarba and Fr. Andrzej Dobrzyński, while the homily was delivered by the Administrator of the Foundation, Fr Krzysztof Wieliczko. He said: “The Holy Father John Paul II wrote in the” Roman Triptych “So many generations passed. They came into the world naked, and they returned naked to the earth from which they were taken”. The Pope added: “Please stop, this passing makes sense, it makes sense … it makes sense!”
This sense is most clearly shown in the first days of November, when we celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls’ Day. …. The first days of November also help us regain the proper hierarchy of values and put everything in proper perspective. Because focusing on what is eternal, shows what really makes sense in life and what is important. It is clear then that death simply belongs to life and is part of it.
These days teach us to pray for those who have passed away. We believe this prayer has two-ways. The faithful departed can also pray for the living. Dante Alighieri put it in an interesting way in the 11th song of the “Divine Comedy” entitled “Cleansing the mountains”: the souls in Purgatory stretch their hands to God and say: “Our Father”, praying for those who remained on earth. They cannot help themselves; the time had passed for them to choose between good and evil, but they pray for the living on this earth. We, on the other hand, can help them with our prayer, Holy Masses and communion.
John Paul II on the beginning of his pontificate, in his homily at the funeral Mass of Cardinal Francis Seper, prefect of the Congregation of Faith, said: “Death, which the believer experience opens the way to the heavenly Father.” And he recalled the famous words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Be praised, my Lord, for death, a sister of our body.”
Fr. Jan Twardowski once said that he believed that in that world, after crossing the “other shore”, the Lord Jesus come for a man. And then the loved ones come who loved us here on earth. And, you should not be afraid at that moment. The Creator planned the world in such a way that he inscribed death in its sense, that is, the beginning of a new life. If there were no death, human life would be without sense.”
