The month of November is a very interesting month in the life of the Church. It is during this month that we consider where we are headed in this life. Those realities being our death, our judgement, and hopefully the Kingdom of God.
For this reason the Church gives us special indulgences that we can receive during this month of November. The work that needs to be done is to visit a cemetery to pray for the dead or to even offer an “Our Father” and “Creed” for them here inside of the Church. Normally, these indulgences can only be received during a certain set of days, but due to COVID-19 these indulgences have been extended throughout the whole month of November. In conjunction with the work which is attached one must also make a confession, receive the Eucharist, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and be detached from sin.
When was the last time that you have entered into a cemetery in order to pray? Cemeteries serve as a constant reminder of where we are headed in this life and they remind us of the need to pray for the souls of the faithful departed. Sadly, it seems that we want to forget about our own mortality and so easily push off the necessity to pray for the souls of the dead. Tomorrow we come to commemorate All Souls Day where our parish will have a total of five Mass opportunities. One of these opportunities will be at 1:30pm and will take place in the cemetery that is right behind our parish.
Today the Church observes the Solemnity of All Saints which is very much so connected to these realities which should be constantly set before our sight. Those who we venerate today have been called home to Heaven. Some of them have been revealed to the Church by God by their name while so many have not been revealed to us in such a manner. If they are known by name or not what we can say of them is that they have run the race and have been good and faithful servants of the Lord. They have walked this earth and died in service to the Gospel message and have now been called home to God.
Our ultimate goal on this earth is not to be rich in a worldly sense and to amass earthly possessions. Ultimately, we are called to be saints which means that we are called to Heaven. How many of us ever stop and think that we are called to be saints because we are called to Heaven? In our prayer we should mediate on that very question. In doing so we should ask what we must let go of if we are to be saints and be in Heaven. If we are not living the life of a saint nor striving for Heaven then there is only one place for us and I would hope that none of us want to end up there.
On this solemn day on our Church calendar may we fall in love with the saints and desire to live like them. The Church is blessed to have huge calendar of saints who make up the life of the Church. I would urge you and your families to study the lives of these holy men and women and to foster devotion to them. We are so well versed in athletes and celebrities, but so poorly formed in our love and devotion for the saints.
May all the Saints of Heaven pray for us that at the end of our life we may join with them in the Kingdom of Heaven.
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