Rio de Janeiro (Monday, 11/03/2014, Gaudium Press) The Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal Orani João Tempesta, prayed on Sunday, November 2, for the faithful departed in three cemeteries of the city of Rio de Janeiro, and urged that all may enjoy the experience of an authentic Christian life, which is considered by him as a precious gift from God.
“Let us use the time which is given to us to live wisely, listening and putting into practice the Word of God. Take advantage of those days to do good, to love and serve the others. Doing what is good is a gift that strengthens our friendship with God, in this world and in eternity”, the Cardinal said.
According to the Archbishop, the celebrations of the Feast of All Saints and All Souls are an unique opportunity to think in our present life and in the next one, because “we cannot live just thinking of today, forgetting that there is a tomorrow,” and he continued, “these two celebrations make us think about where we came from and where we go to.”
All Souls Day, he continued, is a day dedicated to prayer because “while we are still in this world, we can discover God’s plan for us and walk in His path and, if necessary, we still have the opportunity to convert. When our time is over, when we have left this world, we will need that others pray and intercede for us.”
“It is good and even necessary to pray for the deceased. We believe that those who have left this world are still alive and that our prayers will intercede for them,” he said.
Concluding his homily, Cardinal Orani noted that “along with the longing we have to trust that life continues.”
“Our deceased, our loved ones, are not with us anymore, but we are united with them in Christ. While pilgrims, but in communion with the triumphant and suffering Church, let us pray for the departed, for them to be justified from their sins by the blood that Christ shed on the Cross. May each one, by the mystery of redemption, contemplate the beatific vision, the new life in God”, he concluded. (LMI)
Gaudium Press, with information from the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro
