November begins with All the Saints, a wonderful solemnity that highlights the heroes of the faith. We lift up those who have made it. It also points to our goal as all of us want to get to heaven and being a saint is the manner we do that with God’s grace. With so many saints it points to the reality of the many ways to live out the faith in all kinds of circumstances.
November 2nd is the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day). We all want to get to heaven but we don’t always give it our best or get sidetracked at times. That is where the Church’s teaching on purgatory comes into play. It is often misunderstood. From the catechism of the Catholic Church are two paragraphs to help us learn more. I am pulling a few lines from paragraphs 1031 and 1032. “The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence and Trent. The tradition of the Church, by reference to certain texts of Scripture, speaks of a cleansing fire.” “This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture….From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead: Let us help and commemorate them.” November is a great month to recall those who have gone before us. Death does not break the bonds we have formed with them; we can pray for them and they can pray for us. Ask the Holy Souls for their intercession. Cemetery visits and prayers there for the dead in the month of November along with indulgences are beautiful expressions of our solidarity with the faithful departed.