The seasons are changing. As October turns into November, the days grow shorter, the air cooler, and darkness comes earlier. Nature is preparing for winter, and the Church, too, shifts our focus this time of year to reflect on the “last things”: heaven, hell, and purgatory. At the end of this week, we celebrate All Saints on November 1st and All Souls on November 2nd. This is a time to remember the dead, pray for them, and reflect on our hope in eternal life.
This Sunday’s Gospel about Bartimaeus, the blind man (Mark 10:46-52) offers a powerful metaphor for this season. Bartimaeus knows what it’s like to live in darkness. But when he hears Jesus is passing by, he cries out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” Even when others try to silence him, he keeps shouting, desperate to be healed. His words, “Master, I want to see!”, come not only from his desire for physical sight but also from a longing for hope, clarity, and new life. We, too, experience times of darkness—moments of uncertainty, grief, or doubt. In these moments, it takes courage to cry out to God and trust in His love. Darkness, whether physical or spiritual, helps us appreciate light even more when it comes. As October turns to November, we enter into a season of longing. Like Bartimaeus, we long for hope, wholeness, and newness of life.

When we think about heaven, it’s easy to imagine the images we see in movies—clouds, halos, harps, or wings. Some believe in Heaven we will become angels or disembodied spirits, but the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that this is not the case. God made us body and soul, and our ultimate destiny is not to float as spirits but to be fully alive in glorified bodies. At the end of time, we believe that our bodies will be raised and transformed, just as Jesus was raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:35-44). Heaven isn’t a boring place where we sit on clouds forever—it is the fulfillment of all our deepest desires. Heaven is being in perfect union with God, who is light, love, and joy. Pope John Paul II explained that heaven is not “a place in the clouds,” but a relationship with the Holy Trinity. In this season of the year, like Bartimaeus, who longed to see, we cry out, “I want to see!”—we want to see God face-to-face, to know His love fully, and to experience the joy of eternal life.

As we prepare to celebrate All Saints and All Souls this week, we are reminded that death is not the end. For those who follow Christ, it is a passage to eternal life. All Saints (November 1st) is a day to honor those who have reached the goal of heaven and now see God face-to-face. The saints are examples of holiness who inspire us to live faithfully. They show us that heaven is not static or boring, but a place of joy, purpose, and love. All Souls (November 2nd) is a day, to pray for those faithful departed who are still being purified in purgatory. As Catholics, we believe that Purgatory is less about punishment, and more about God’s mercy readying souls to stand before Him in His fullness.

This Sunday’s readings and the feasts of All Saints and All Souls offer us hope and encouragement. Death is not the end. We are on a journey, step by step, toward eternal life. Along the way, we have the support of the saints who intercede for us and the privilege of praying for our loved ones still being purified in purgatory. Let us take inspiration from Bartimaeus’s faith, trusting that God will heal and restore us. Just as Bartimaeus was given new sight, so we will be made whole when we see God face-to-face.

This week I invite you to join me for the celebrations of All Saints and All Souls. All Saints Day Masses will take place on November 1st. On Saturday, November 2nd, at noon, we will gather at Holy Family Cemetery for an All Souls Prayer Service, where we will pray for our loved ones, especially the parishioners we have lost this past year. May God fill us with hope as we pray for the dead and look forward with joy to the day when we, too, will join the saints in the fullness of His presence. “Master, I want to see!” Amen.