Reflection Starter from Bill Watterson

"We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are." – Bill Watterson

"Eternal Rest Grant to them, O Lord"

As we continue our observance of All Souls Day, I offer this version of "Eternal Rest Grant to them, O Lord":

 

Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day)

Today the Church observes the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed  (All Souls). The assigned readings are Wisdom 3:1-9, Romans 5:5-11 or Romans 6:3-9, and John 6:37-40. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 23 (Psalm 23:1-6).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Spirit & Psalm 2025 - All Souls' Day - Psalm

The Gospel reading is as follows:

Jesus said to the crowds: "Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day."

As we observe this day, we entrust to the Lord’s mercy each of our deceased family members, friends, neighbors, and associates, as well as each of soul around the world who has passed away – especially those who most need our prayers.

Reflections on this day:

Crossroads Initiative:  All Souls, Purgatory & Prayers for the Dead

Aleteia: Tom Hoopes: The urgency of All Souls Day (2 NOV 22)

Community in Mission: 99 and a Half Won't Do - A Homily for All Souls Day (1 NOV 25)

Word on Fire: Sermons: Why We Pray for All Souls (Cycle C * 31st Week * Ordinary Time)

The Pilot: Echoes: Scott Hahn: All souls (31 OCT 25)

The Pilot: Echoes: Father Joshua J. Whitfield: Scripture Reflection for Nov. 2, 2025, All Souls Day (29 OCT 25)

The Pilot: Echoes: Archbishop Richard G. Henning: The souls of the just are in the hands of God (31 OCT 25)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the beauty of fog.

Msgr. Pope on the Beauty of Fog

"Most of us don't remark on [fog] in 'real time'; it just seems to sit there and brood. Like clouds, fog is dynamic and undulating, moving so slowly that it rarely catches our attention. If time is collapsed, . . . , the fog seems to flow like a river over the landscape, sometimes cascading like a waterfall."

In a recent commentary based on the writing of St. Teresa of Avila, Msgr. Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on the beauty of fog.. 

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: The Remarkable Beauty of Fog (28 OCT 25)

Reflection Starter from Pope Leo XIV

"May visiting the cemetery invite us all to remember and to wait in hope. 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. May the familiar voice of Jesus reach everyone, because it is the only one that comes from the future. He calls us by name and prepares a place for us." - Pope Leo XIV

"I Sing a Song of the Saints of God"

As we continue our holy day celebration, I offer this version of Lesbia Scott's "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God":

 

Solemnity of All Saints

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. The assigned readings are Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3:1-3; and Matthew 5:1-12. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 24 (Psalm 24:1bc-4ab, 5-6).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Respond & Acclaim - All Saints, 2025 - Year C - Psalm 24 - Alstott

The Gospel reading is as follows:

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
   for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
   for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
   for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
   for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
   for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
   for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
   for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
   for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven."

Reflections on these readings:

Franciscan Media: Solemnity of All Saints

Vatican News: Liturgical Feasts: Solemnity of All Saints

Vatican News: Pope on All Saints: We are called to holiness, a gift and journey together (1 NOV 23)

National Catholic Register: Blogs: Marge Fenelon: All Saints Day: You Were Created to Become a Saint (1 NOV 23)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for opportunities You give us each day  to do good, to be angels of peace, and to speak the truth.

New Doctor of the Church Sought 'Kindly Light'

October 9th [was] the Feast Day of Saint John Henry Newman, who will soon be formally declared by Pope Leo XIV as a Doctor of the Church. Newman will be the 38th Doctor of the Church and is only the second English saint honored with the distinction, joining Saint Bede, who lived during the late 7th and early 8th centuries.

A Vatican News write-up about the announcement included Newman's prayer "From Shadows and Images into the Truth, which opens with the famous words: "Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on. The night is dark, and I am far from home."

The deep longing for clarity expressed in these words reflects the seed of conversion planted in Newman's heart during a trip to Italy. He was 32 years old at the time but was already a highly regarded and influential Anglican priest.

In his Vatican News story, Alessandro De Carolis writes, "The 1832 trip to Italy deepened his inner search. Newman carried within him a thirst to know the depths of God, His 'kindly Light,' which for him was also the light of Truth - truth about Christ, the true nature of the Church, and the tradition of the early centuries, when the Church Fathers spoke to a still undivided Church."

It was more than a decade later that Newman converted to Catholicism. Returning to Italy in 1846 to spend time as a humble seminarian, Newman wrote, "It is like a dream, and yet so calm, so happy, as if it were the fulfillment of a long hope, and the beginning of a new life."

After his time studying in Rome, Newman went back to England and spent the rest of his life sharing the joy of his conversion in lectures, writings, and the homilies he gave to those he served in parish life. It is said that he wept in 1879 upon learning that Pope Leo XIII had decided to make him a cardinal. "The cloud is lifted forever," Newman declared. Eleven years later, he passed away at the age of 89. His tomb reads, "Ex umbris et imaginibus in Veritatem," which means, "From shadows and images into the Truth."

In his prayer, "The Mission of My Life," Newman wrote, "I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth."

This prayer inspired The Christophers' 1957 half hour film A Link in the Chain, which starred James Cagney as an aging college philosophy professor looking back on his life and wondering if his efforts to impart wisdom to young people made a difference. Toward the film's end, Cagney's character declares, "I, too, was but a link in the chain, a chain that was first forged with a word, the Word of God."

Cagney's character shows that he finally sees his efforts in the positive light of God's will. We do not always fully understand why we are thrown into certain situations, whether those situations produce joy or pain, but we can resolve, like Saint John Henry Newman, to do good, to be angels of peace and to speak the truth. When we do that, we're following in the footsteps of our newest Doctor of the Church. May his words guide us, and may he intercede for us in our efforts to serve Christ and His Church.

This essay is a recent "Light One Candle" column, written by Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M, of The Christophers' Board of Directors; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)

Background information:

The Christophers

Reflection Starter from Danny Thomas

"All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others." - Danny Thomas

Jelly Roll Morton: "Tiger Rag"

It's time for some jazz, a genre of music I enjoy. Here is a presentation of "Tiger Rag" by Jelly Roll Morton: