Gospel for November 2 2025 – John 6:37-40
Gospel Reflections for November 2 2025
What about loved ones who have died?
Are they in Heaven? We hope so! Can you know for sure? Well …you can’t, but you can surely pray for them. (2 Maccabees 12:43-45)
The only people the Church claims are in Heaven are the saints, and only after a careful investigation that includes several scientifically verified miracles based on their intercessions. Courageous and holy people are heroes of our faith and worthy of praise, whether they are officially designated as saints or not.
You can certainly believe your loved one is in Heaven. Moreover, just like you ask the saints to pray to God for your intentions, you can also ask your loved one to pray to God on your behalf as well.
If the deceased was not able to receive the Anointing of the Sick Sacrament before death that is not a handicap or problem when they stand before God. Very few people actually receive this sacrament before dying.
When loved ones die, it is customary to have Funeral Rites so that people can pray for their soul and that God will welcome them into heaven. Their remains are then properly placed in a public cemetery or mausoleum.
The Funeral Mass can be in a Catholic Church or at a Catholic cemetery. Families may also choose to have just the Graveside Service. A Funeral Prayer Service and Graveside Service can also be at a Non-Catholic cemetery, but without a Mass.
We always encourage a eulogy at the service as well, which is a short five-minute description of the virtues and admirable qualities of the deceased. We have guidelines here at St. Bruno that will help you write a beautiful eulogy.
More than half of our Funeral Services are cremations. These services are identical to those with a casket. However, we cannot bless multiple ash jars, as we believe the ashes of one person must remain in one urn. We also believe they should be placed in a public cemetery so that other friends and family can pay their respects at any time. A house, or certainly any “scattering,” is not considered a suitable place, and prevents others from visiting the site.
All Souls Day is a deeply respectful event about your continued prayers for your loved ones, asking for their intercession with God for you, and remembering their time with you.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Thank you for the clarification on this. I did not realize most folks don’t get anointing of the sick, probably due to the circumstances of the persons’ passing and it is good knowing this is not an impediment to meeting God.
While I understand the importance of not “scattering” ashes around, I know people who have had the best of intentions by wanting to be “planted” with a tree or similar action, with the intent of doing one last good thing in the world. I hope God sees it for that.
Thanks again, Father Dave, for a wonderful insight.
Yes, I am sure they had good intentions. God will know best.
I certainly hope that what you said is in fact, fact.
Thanks for sharing and for your diligent efforts to help all of us to be better people, husbands/wives, and humans.
RJ Ruhr
You are very welcome!
The beauty of our love ones dying is that we beautifully believe that they are in the precious embrace of our loving God, our precious Jesus and our beautiful Blessed Mother for they lived a life of loving our Jesus and living His love! and someday ,we will embrace them in loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!if we beautifully live our precious Jesus’ loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Franca and Dick
Thank you!