Pope Leo XIV: Let us not allow the memory of the deceased to be reduced to mere nostalgia

VATICAN CITY — Hope in the resurrection and the communion of saints are the two truths “that illuminate our prayer for the deceased,” Pope Leo XIV said in his homily Thursday at Mass offered for the repose of the cardinals and bishops who have died during the past year.

It is customary for the popes to celebrate this Mass every year at the beginning of November. The list of names for whom the Mass is offered is printed in the opening pages of the liturgical booklet. This year, Mass was offered for seven cardinals and 136 bishops.

At the Mass, celebrated in Latin at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope reflected on the theme of service. For, he said, “indeed, whoever follows Christ becomes his servant and will always be where he is, precisely because they have followed his path.”

Drawing from the first reading of the liturgy, the pope reflected on the hope of the resurrection, a theme already present in the Old Testament. He said: “For our remembrance of our departed brothers and sisters at the altar of the Lord is founded on the promise that our life, in Christ, is not lost, because it has been redeemed.”

Moreover, “if, as Scripture emphasizes, there were no resurrection, it would be pointless to pray for the dead.” Therefore, “to pray for the deceased, then, means to celebrate life! First and foremost the risen life of Christ the Lord, and, by his grace, our own life, which rises in him. The Eucharistic sacrifice is the memorial of his passover, by which he saved us through the gift of himself for us. Let us not allow the memory of the deceased to become merely nostalgic. In faith, we contemplate the mystery of death without fear, because the Lord is alive; he awaits us and has already prepared a place for us in the house of his Father.”

This act of entrustment is rooted in hope in the communion of saints, he said. “When we pray for the deceased, we do so not only for them, but also with them, caught up in that reciprocity which the Holy Spirit brings to life in our hearts. The Church is a mystery of communion between Christ the head and us, his members: from him we receive life. This communion joins together the blessed spirits who already contemplate the face of God and all those who, in heaven or on earth, are making their way toward that radiant goal.”

For this reason, the pope concluded: “In Christ, death does not dissolve our bonds but transforms them into a new dimension, one that can only be understood in the mystery of his love, given to the end on the cross and poured out after the victory of Easter. As we receive, then, in the holy Eucharist, the charity of the risen Lord, may we always preserve and cultivate this communion along our journey, so that when our own hour comes, we too may receive the prayers of our pilgrim brothers and sisters and, with all the saints, enjoy the joy of our heavenly homeland.”

After Mass, Pope Leo visited the Vatican grottoes under St. Peter’s Basilica to pray at the tombs of some of his papal predecessors, including St. Paul VI, Venerable Pius XII, and Benedict XVI.

This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.