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All Souls’ Day
Romans 6:3–9; Psalm 24; Matthew 25:31–46
There is a popular saying:
“The one who dies with the most toys wins.”
It sounds clever.
But on All Souls’ Day, we know it is not true.
No one takes toys into eternity.
No one takes titles.
No one takes bank accounts.
No one takes applause.
Death takes many things from us.
But it also reveals something.
It reveals what truly matters.
Today, we remember our departed brothers and sisters.
We pray for them.
We entrust them to the mercy of God.
And we also allow this day to speak to our own hearts.
How am I living?
What am I collecting?
What will remain when my life on earth is finished?
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the Last Judgment.
The King separates the nations.
But He does not ask:
How famous were you?
How successful were you?
How much did you own?
How many people admired you?
He asks something much simpler and much deeper.
I was hungry.
Did you feed me?
I was thirsty.
Did you give me drink?
I was a stranger.
Did you welcome me?
I was naked.
Did you clothe me?
I was sick.
Did you visit me?
I was in prison.
Did you come to me?
This is surprising.
At the end of life, love is not abstract.
Love has a face.
A hungry person.
A thirsty person.
A stranger.
A sick person.
A prisoner.
Someone forgotten.
Someone inconvenient.
Someone who cannot repay us.
Jesus identifies Himself with the least.
This is one of the most powerful truths of the Gospel.
We often want to be close to the strong, the important, the successful.
But Jesus makes Himself close to the poor, the wounded, the lonely, and the forgotten.
He says:
Whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.
Saint Martin of Tours understood this.
He was a soldier.
One cold day, he saw a beggar shivering at the city gate.
Martin had no money.
So he took his cloak, cut it in two, and gave half to the beggar.
That night, according to tradition, Martin saw Christ in a dream, wearing that piece of cloak.
What he gave to the poor man, he had given to Christ.
This is not only a beautiful story.
It is the Gospel.
The poor are not interruptions to our spiritual life.
They are places where Christ waits for us.
The suffering person is not outside our faith.
Christ is hidden there.
All Souls’ Day also reminds us that our hope is not based on our own perfect record.
Saint Paul tells us that in baptism, we were buried with Christ so that we might live with Him.
Christ died.
Christ rose.
Death no longer has power over Him.
That is our hope for the faithful departed.
That is our hope for ourselves.
We pray for the dead because we trust in mercy.
We live mercy because we hope for mercy.
The judgment of Christ is serious.
But it is not meant to make us despair.
It is meant to wake us up.
Life is short.
Time passes quickly.
So let us not waste our lives collecting what we cannot keep.
Let us learn to share.
Not only money.
But time.
Attention.
A kind word.
A visit.
A meal.
A listening ear.
A forgiving heart.
At the end, only love remains.
And every act of mercy, even the smallest one, is remembered by Christ.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Mark
Year of Mark - Get it from Amazon
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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