November 2, All Souls

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.-- Psalm 23:1

Mass readings: Wisdom 3:1-9 / Romans 5:5-11 or 6:3-9 / John 6:37-40

Shining Souls

''Annie,'' my friend said. ''We're headed to Cleveland. I just called to let you know my mom is within hours of death. Please pray for all of us.'' She was on a journey that my other friends and I have taken in the past few years. Our mothers are leaving us. Going home to God. The loss is stunning, as the hollowness of being motherless settles in. Even as many of us are already grandmothers ourselves, we sorely miss the daily, earthly contact with our moms.

Today's reading from Wisdom comforts all of us who mourn our lost loved ones: Of the deceased, we are told: ''They shall shine.'' So Josephine shines and Ellen and Flo. All our mothers and all the faithful departed for whom we pray. We take God at His word.

Prayer: Thank You, God, for the reassurance that our loved ones live on in You.