YESTERDAY we celebrated the feast of All Saints when we remembered with joy and gratitude all those who have gone before us and who are now enjoying eternal happiness face to face with God.

Today, however, we remember another group of those who have died and gone before us. Apart from Jesus and his Mother, we can say that no one has gone through this life totally free from sin and the effects of sin. With the exception of those who have given their life for Christ, the martyrs, it would be difficult to claim that anyone has left this life in a state of absolute perfection. Even if we are free from serious sin which would alienate us completely from God, there are certain to be minor and culpable imperfections.

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Sinners who are saints

This would be true even of those we would otherwise regard as saints. Saints are not people who are free from all imperfections. Rather they are those who are outstandingly good in spite of and through their shortcomings. Every saint is also a sinner and it is a sign of sainthood that one is always aware of that. (The people who go most often to Confession are often the ones who would seem to need the sacrament the least. And the reverse is often also true.)

So, it is not surprising that when we die - unless as martyrs who, like their Lord, have paid the ultimate price by "laying down their life for their friends" - we are not quite ready to come face to face with a perfect God. We may seem to be good but when brought face to face with a perfect God we would want to flee in shame. To use a perhaps trivial example it is like Mrs Wong who thought her washing was white until she saw Mrs Gomez' washed in the "other" detergent. Now Mrs Wong's clothes look positively grey!

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Need for purification

The Church then has taught for a long time that, when we die, most of us are in need of some process of purification. This process has traditionally been called "Purgatory". Some spiritual writers in the past went somewhat over the top in describing "Purgatory" in vivid detail. Yet the official teaching of the Church is very circumspect and, beyond speaking of some sort of purifying process, does not speculate as to its nature. It is not helpful then to think of "Purgatory" as a place, still less a kind of mini-Hell, which only differs from a Hell of fire and brimstone in knowing that one will eventually get out of it and "go to heaven".

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Reality of dying

The Scripture readings for today all give rich matter for reflection and touch on the reality of death in general, something we will all have to face some day and for which we should be ready. After all, the Lord will come "like a thief in the night". We do not want to have the door closed in our face and hear those terrible words: "I do not know you." The Scripture constantly warns us to be ready to meet our Lord at any time.

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A high point

As this is Year B of the Scripture readings cycle, when we go through the gospel of Mark, the first suggested Gospel text for today is from Mark.

It speaks of a high point in the relationship of Jesus with his disciples. They had gradually been getting to know their Master better. They had heard his teaching, full of authority unlike that of the Scribes and Pharisees. They had seen his marvellous works of healing, of driving out evil spirits and forgiving people their sins. The reality slowly began to dawn and then, on that day in Caesarea Philippi, Peter - in the name of all of them - answered Jesus' question about who they thought he was, "You are the Christ, the Messiah". It was a glorious and exciting moment for them.

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A bombshell

But that was only the beginning. Because Jesus, their new-found Messiah, had a bombshell to drop on them. He was going to undergo great suffering, be rejected by the civic and religious leaders of his own people and be killed only to rise again after three days. This came as a terrible shock to the disciples; it was totally against all their expectations of a triumphant, all-conquering national saviour. Peter could not accept this and, surely in the name of all of them, remonstrated strongly with his Master. He was hardly prepared for the answer: "Get behind me, Satan!" Peter was seen as a genuine temptation turning Jesus away from his divine mission.

Jesus was not finished yet. Not only would he go the way of rejection, suffering and death to life, he expected all his followers to walk the same way. "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save it."

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Taking Jesus seriously

Today, as we remember those who have gone before us, we are aware that our future destiny with God depends to a large extent on how seriously we have taken Jesus' words to our hearts. For those who have put their own chosen way of living before everything, there is the likelihood that in death they lose everything. They hear God saying to them, "Your will be done" but they also hear him say, "I do not know you."

On the other hand, there are those who gave themselves so completely to Jesus and his Way that they surrendered their lives, perhaps as martyrs. They are the ones we remembered in yesterday's feast. In between are probably the rest of us - wanting to go all the way with Jesus but so often holding back, hedging our bets, wanting to have the best of both worlds. When it comes time for us to leave this world, we are a bit like a ragged doll, needing to be cleaned and tidied up before we can come face to face with our all-perfect, all-holy God. And they are the people we are remembering today.

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Good things in store

There are wonderful things in store for those we think of today. These are described by the prophet Isaiah in today's beautiful First Reading. He speaks in terms of a great banquet, something which people who were poor and often malnourished and hungry imagined as the summit of happiness and pleasure. "The Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear."

We may feel sorry for the dead at times and yet at that time "the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth". Those in the anteroom to God's presence, awaiting the final call, can say, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation". That salvation is now very close to them and is assured.

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A certain future

The Second Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians renews that confidence for all of us. Our resurrection is as certain as that of Christ himself. If Christ is not risen, then "our faith has been in vain" and what happened on Calvary was the end of everything. Without resurrection Jesus went into nothingness. And, for all of us, life has no meaning.

At the same time, "if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised". And we are still in our sin. "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." It is only a risen Christ with whom we can share a life that never ends that gives meaning to our lives and to the values that we live for. To live a life without truth or love does not make any sense. And it is only a living God which makes truth and love possible.

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A day of solidarity

Today is a day of solidarity between all Christians. It is a celebration of what we call the "Communion of Saints", where 'saints' signifies all who are baptised in Christ. We are divided into three distinct groups. First, there are those whom we celebrated yesterday, those who have gone ahead of us and are now enjoying the glory and happiness of being face to face with God. Secondly, there are ourselves, still making our pilgrimage of love and service, doing our best to live up to the vision of the Gospel which Jesus left us. Thirdly, there are those we specially commemorate today. They are those who have died but are not yet ready to come face to face with God and need to go through some purification process.

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The 'saints'

By their prayers before the throne of God, the first group can intercede on behalf of those still on earth and on behalf of those among the dead who await their summons into God's loving presence. We, too, can offer our prayers on behalf of the dead who are not yet with God in glory. And that is why we are gathered here today. Among these people are surely many family members, other relatives and friends and other people whom we can help by our prayers.

In due course, they will be interceding for us with God and we will benefit from the help they can give us.

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A prayer for our future

Let us, then, make a prayer of today's Mass our own: "God, our creator and redeemer, by your power Christ conquered death and returned to you in glory. May all your people who have gone before us in faith share his victory and enjoy the vision of your glory for ever."