Homily for the Mass of Remembrance

My friends, tonight we gather in the gentle light of Christ, remembering those who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith. Their faces, their names, their stories are held before us, some in the flickering light of candles, some in the photographs before the altar, but all of them are forever held in the loving heart of God.

In the Gospel we just heard, Jesus says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me (cf. John 6:37-40).” What a promise that is. It means that not one soul entrusted to Christ is ever forgotten, lost, or abandoned. Even in the mystery of death, in our pain, our tears, and the empty spaces left behind, Christ remains faithful. The One who died and rose again holds our loved ones now in that same promise of life eternal.

When we lit these candles tonight, it wasn’t just a sign of sorrow. It was a sign of hope, hope in the light that no darkness can overcome. These flames remind us that love endures beyond the grave, that Christ’s resurrection is not a story from long ago but the very truth that carries us in this moment.

Yes, we grieve deeply. It’s right that we do. Love always feels the ache of separation. But as people of faith, we believe that our beloved dead have gone home, into the hands of Christ, into the Father’s embrace, where there is no more pain, no more tears, only peace and joy in the heavenly banquet.

And so tonight, as we look upon these candles and faces, we give thanks. We remember. We entrust them once again to God's mercy, and we ask for the grace to keep walking in faith until that day when we, too, are gathered into the fullness of light and life, the eternal love of heaven.

May their souls, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.