My dear family in Christ:
The month of November is often considered the month of saints and souls. We begin the month by honoring and seeking the intercession of all the saints, known and unknown, those holy women and men who lived as friends of Christ while on earth and now share in the wonder of the beatific vision. The Solemnity of All Saints provides us with the opportunity of considering their lives, and praying that we might imitate their virtues and dedication to God. We are reminded that we are all called to be saints. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2683:
“The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, (Cf. Heb 12:1) especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were ‘put in charge of many things.’ [Cf. Mt 25:21.] Their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.”
Regarding All Souls’ Day and the remembrance of the faithful departed throughout the month of November, the Church invites us to pray for those who are undergoing a “final purification after death before entering fully into the glory of God’s presence. While praying for the dead sounds harsh to some and foolish to others, it is an invitation for all of us to not only remember our deceased loved ones, but to ask the Lord to bring them fully into His presence. This practice also allows us to consider our own mortality and help prepare ourselves to stand before the Judge of all, not filled with dread, but filled with the hope that through God’s mercy and the prayers of others, we will be joined to the choirs of angels and legions of saints who give glory to God in heaven. As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us:
“(All Souls’ Day) renews the hope in eternal life, truly founded on Christ’s death and Resurrection. ‘I am risen and I am with you always’, the Lord tells us, and my hand supports you. Wherever you may fall, you will fall into my hands and I will be there even to the gates of death. Where no one can accompany you any longer and where you can take nothing with you, there I will wait for you to transform for you the darkness into light. Christian hope, however, is not solely individual, it is also always a hope for others. Our lives are profoundly linked, one to the other, and the good and the bad that each of us does always affects others too. Hence, the prayer of a pilgrim soul in the world can help another soul that is being purified after death. This is why the Church invites us today to pray for our beloved deceased and to pause at their tombs in the cemeteries.” (Angelus November 2, 2008)
May all the saints intercede for us as we strive to follow Christ on the way of salvation, and may our prayers throughout this month of November help the faithful departed come to the glories of the saints in heaven.
God alone suffices!
+John J. McDermott
Bishop of Burlington