All Souls’ Day
November is the month of the Holy Souls, and on November 2nd,
we commemorate All Souls’ Day. In the website
http://www.catholic.org/saints/allsouls/
we read, “All Souls Day is a holy day set aside for honoring the
dead. The day is primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church, but it
is also celebrated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and a few other
denominations of Christianity. The Anglican church is the largest
protestant church to celebrate the holy day. Most protestant
denominations do not recognize the holiday and disagree with the
theology behind it.
According to Catholic belief, the soul of a person
who dies can go to one of three places. The first is heaven, where a
person who dies in a state of perfect grace and communion with God
goes. The second is hell, where those who die in a state of mortal
sin are naturally condemned by their choice. The intermediate option
is purgatory, which is thought to be where most people, free of
mortal sin, but still in a state of lesser (venial) sin, must go.”
So, during the month of November, and in
particular on November 2nd, we pray for those in our
family that are in purgatory waiting to finally see the full glory of
God in heaven. This website goes on to tell us: “Purgatory is
necessary so that souls can be cleansed and perfected before they
enter into heaven. There is scriptural basis for this belief. The
primary reference is in 2 Maccabees, 12:26 and 12:32. ‘Turning to
supplication, they prayed that the sinful deed might be fully blotted
out... Thus made atonement for the dead that they might be free from
sin.’”
One of the greatest ways to pray for our beloved
dead relatives is by having masses said for them at our parishes. In
years past I would go with my list of family members that have gone
before me and have masses said for them. The mass is the highest form
of Catholic worship, and can do the most good for the souls in
purgatory. Further, when praying your rosary, pray for those in your
family that have since passed on to their rest. I like to include
those people (in addition to my parents and grandparents) that I
haven’t thought of in years. They may very well still be in
purgatory and are in need of that extra “push”, that extra
prayer, to get them into heaven.
So pray for your dead, have masses said for them, say rosaries for them. Then when they make it to heaven, they will be praying for you.
Praise be Jesus Christ, now and forever,
Deacon Tom Tortorella
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