November begins with a
wonderful reminder of the Communion of Saints.
We celebrate All Saints’ Day November 1 and All Souls’ Day November
2. We who are the Saints in Training
pray with and for those who have marched ahead of us. The Church on the face of the Earth is known
as “the Church Militant,” that is, the Church on the march or the Church
fighting the battle on the earthly journey.
“The Church Triumphant” refers to the Saints in glory who continue to
pray for us and urge us on to victory.
“The Church Suffering” speaks of those who have entered into the mystery
of death still needing purification, “the Holy Souls” in Purgatory.
The simple truth that
is expressed the fact that in Christ, the Church is One. We are all connected to one another and we
cooperate with Christ and His Holy Spirit in working out our salvation, one for
all and all for one. The Communion of
Saints is a sharing of Holy Things among the Holy Ones of God, made holy by the
action of God’s Spirit among us.
We are called to see
our lives as a whole, Time and Eternity interpenetrating. Looking to the glory that is in store for us,
we find the courage to persevere on our own march and to pray with and for the
others who are with us on the journey.
This week, all are
invited to Mass for the Holy Day of Obligation,
the Solemnity of All Saints on November 1, and then again for the
special celebration of All Souls’ Day, November 2, where we will remember all
those who have died in the past year.
During these days, we
contemplate “the Four Last Things”: Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. Realizing the brevity of our lives on earth,
we set our minds and hearts on the glory of Heaven, where we are destined to
share Eternal Life with God, the Angels and all the Saints. May we cooperate with the Holy Spirit to
complete our journey through Faith, Hope and Love and may we pray with and for
our brothers and sisters with whom we share this journey now and forever.
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