From the desk of the pastor for Nov. 3, 2024

The Lord be with you! This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints and the Commemoration of All Faithful Departed (All Souls). In remembering our beloved dead, we assist in their salvation and receive their prayerful support.

The Church has three parts: the Church Militant, the Church Penitent, and the Church Triumphant. We here on earth are the Church Militant since we are working to defeat sin and save souls. The Church Penitent are all the souls in Purgatory who are satisfying their temporal punishment for their actual sins. The Church Triumphant includes all the angels and saints in Paradise with God.

When we speak about the Communion of Saints, we are referring to all three parts of the Church. This communion unites all of us in Christ despite our different states. The Church Militant prays for the souls in Purgatory to aid them in their penance; we on earth pray to the saints in Heaven as intercessors who minister to God. The souls in Purgatory pray for us that we might receive God’s grace in greater abundance. The saints in Heaven do not pray per se since they see God directly but intercede with God.

Although all Christians understand that here on earth we must work out our salvation, Catholics and Protestants have very different views on Purgatory and Heaven. Purgatory is not a permanent state but a temporary place of healing. Whenever we sin, we damage our souls, and Purgatory is how we receive the healing our souls need so that we can be with God perfectly. That healing comes from penance, which is why we call it a place of purgation.

The key difference between a Protestant view of Heaven and a Catholic is the intercession of the saints. God, in His supreme goodness, shares His Providential care with the Elect. In other words, God has chosen to allow the saints and angels to be middle management in the distribution of grace. The saints are not the sources of grace, but they are God’s helpers in caring for all of creation. Accordingly, we go to them so that they go to God on our behalf and this cooperation pleases God!

All the faithful departed are praying for us so we should remember them as well. For the canonized saints it is clear how we are to do this. For those we knew personally to die in a state of grace, we can in confidence pray to them individually but not as a group. That practice is actually how the process of canonization starts. Someone prays to a friend in heaven, and a miracle happens demonstrating that God approves the prayer.

In remembering our dead in hope, we rejoice. God loves us so much that not even death can separate us from His Love nor from the love in our hearts. May our prayers for our beloved dead aid them to be forever at peace in Christ.

In His Sacred Heart,

Fr. John