November is the month of Remembrance

From Safari…

Two days, life changing, incredible stories, join the multitude! The twin festivals of All Saints and All Souls kickoff November.

Since All Saints was not a holy day of obligation, you may have missed the stunning and compelling vision of a New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation. In part we heard,

“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” This is our life’s goal to be counted among multitude in heaven. We hope to hear on our death bed Jesus’ words to the other thief (which is from the Gospel of Christ the King this year) , “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

All Saints Day was originally at the conclusion of Easter. It migrated to November 1 in the middle eighth century to seemingly counter, along with All Souls Day, old Celtic practices of feasting the dead. Now these days open for us the deep meaning of November: that it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

In these first days of November all our One in Christ parishes remember all of our brothers and sisters who have gone before us. Ours is a huge family of faith not separated by time, or place, or even death. In fact at every Mass, we believe all the saints gather around the altar with us. St. Paul speaks about a great cloud of witnesses who pray for us and cheer us on, so we may join them in heaven. We also join together with all those who mourn the death of a loved one. And we remember that one day we too will die.

All Souls Day brings questions about Purgatory. The Catholic Catechism states, “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church formulated her doctrine of faith on Purgatory especially at the Councils of Florence (1400s) and Trent (1500s)

How long is our time in Purgatory? Obviously, we have no firsthand reports. The concept of time is a human invention. I believe that our loving God would not draw out this time of cleansing. Using our human sense of time, I would say in the snap of a finger. How are we purified? Some traditions speak of cleansing fires. Perhaps it is a healing scan of God’s love washing over us. Regardless it is a time of joy as we have, with God’s help reached our life’s goal.

Ultimately, we know it is by God’s grace that we enter heaven. We cannot earn our way to heaven. Showered by God’s love may our lives be filled with actions of gratitude for God’s amazing graces in our lives. Let our prayers be for a life well-lived and a happy death.

Fr. Ron