Today, November 2, the liturgy gives space to the commemoration of the dead. In Italian, the dead are "defunti", from the Latin word defunctus, in its past participle form de + fungi = "finish functioning" or "cease to perform," as in "defunct organization". This is a helpful way of looking at life in the sense of "mission" or "vocation". We are born to "complete a mission" here on earth. Once it is finished, we move on... Where? The Christian faith helps us to find the way to that "next life", by putting before us the person of our Lord Jesus Christ: his life, death and resurrection. For Jesus' disciples, death is not end but a transformation. What is important is to find the "mission" allotted to us in this life and do it to the best of our ability, with generosity and joy.
Meanwhile, let us pray for our "defunti" --- those who have preceded us in the other life, and let us ask their prayers too, to guide us in completing our mission here on earth.
