A Sunday Thought About All Saints and All Souls to Start the Week Off Right
The Feast of All Saints falls on Sunday this year. All Souls follows on Monday. It's an especially grace-filled time. Could there be a better way to start a week?
Today, All Saints, we, the Church Militant, will go to Mass as we do every Sunday, but we recall and honor the Church Triumphant. In our struggle for sanctity in the midst of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we derive special graces on this glorious feast day, we ask the saints for their intercession, that Our Lord grant us the strength to persevere. And so we will greet the coming week, and the rest of our lives, filled with His grace.
Tomorrow, All Souls, we, the Church Militant might consider making a special effort to get to Mass to pray in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the Church Suffering. These souls need our prayers to help them on their way to Heaven. They are assured of Heaven, of course, but need purification before joining the Church Triumphant, to spend eternity in the Holy Presence of God. We Church Militant can assist them in this mysterious process of purification. (More on that below.)
Do your best today and tomorrow to take the time to properly observe these special feast days. Don't let them pass you by without your attention and action. Since you already observe Sunday as the Lord's Day, you've got a good jump on observing All Saints Day faithfully. You've got the time and, one hopes, the inclination to pray for the intercession of the saints in your life and, at the very least, the lives of your loved ones. You could take it a step further and pray for their special intercession in the lives of others, for example: those you know who don't practice their Catholic faith seriously; those who don't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; even for those who are your enemies (either personal enemies if you've got such, or those people of bad will who mean to do any of us harm).
The saints, bathed in the Light of Heaven, in the Presence of God, serve as powerful intercessors, and many of us don't "take advantage" of that often enough, being swamped by the busy-ness of our lives, and distracted by the secular world that surrounds us. The Feast of All Saints can be the day you reorient yourself. Pray earnestly for the intercession of the saints, starting, of course, with Our Blessed Mother.
As for the Feast of All Souls, what better day than All Souls to pray for the dead, specifically your dead.? Despite what all too many priests at funeral Masses imply or say outright these days, we don't know whether Mom or Dad, brother, sister, cousin, friend, etc. are in Heaven. They very well might be in Purgatory. (We'll skip the other alternative for now.) Oh, and remember that even if they're already in Heaven, any merit gained by prayers you say for the repose of their souls will be "directed" to those who need them - for example, other souls in Purgatory. What greater act of charity could you possibly perform?
As we said above, we can assist the Holy Souls in that mysterious process of purification they must undergo before entering Heaven. Here are some specific recommendations on how we, the Church Militant can acquire a plenary indulgence (even more than one!) for the Church Suffering. We found these suggestions on Father Zuhlsdodrf's excellent blog. Direct your attention especially to the multiple indulgences we can acquire during the eight days from November 1 through November 8. Imagine: You can free eight souls from their suffering in Purgatory by next Sunday!
Today, All Saints, we, the Church Militant, will go to Mass as we do every Sunday, but we recall and honor the Church Triumphant. In our struggle for sanctity in the midst of the world, the flesh, and the devil, we derive special graces on this glorious feast day, we ask the saints for their intercession, that Our Lord grant us the strength to persevere. And so we will greet the coming week, and the rest of our lives, filled with His grace.
Tomorrow, All Souls, we, the Church Militant might consider making a special effort to get to Mass to pray in a special way for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the Church Suffering. These souls need our prayers to help them on their way to Heaven. They are assured of Heaven, of course, but need purification before joining the Church Triumphant, to spend eternity in the Holy Presence of God. We Church Militant can assist them in this mysterious process of purification. (More on that below.)
Do your best today and tomorrow to take the time to properly observe these special feast days. Don't let them pass you by without your attention and action. Since you already observe Sunday as the Lord's Day, you've got a good jump on observing All Saints Day faithfully. You've got the time and, one hopes, the inclination to pray for the intercession of the saints in your life and, at the very least, the lives of your loved ones. You could take it a step further and pray for their special intercession in the lives of others, for example: those you know who don't practice their Catholic faith seriously; those who don't know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; even for those who are your enemies (either personal enemies if you've got such, or those people of bad will who mean to do any of us harm).
The saints, bathed in the Light of Heaven, in the Presence of God, serve as powerful intercessors, and many of us don't "take advantage" of that often enough, being swamped by the busy-ness of our lives, and distracted by the secular world that surrounds us. The Feast of All Saints can be the day you reorient yourself. Pray earnestly for the intercession of the saints, starting, of course, with Our Blessed Mother.
As for the Feast of All Souls, what better day than All Souls to pray for the dead, specifically your dead.? Despite what all too many priests at funeral Masses imply or say outright these days, we don't know whether Mom or Dad, brother, sister, cousin, friend, etc. are in Heaven. They very well might be in Purgatory. (We'll skip the other alternative for now.) Oh, and remember that even if they're already in Heaven, any merit gained by prayers you say for the repose of their souls will be "directed" to those who need them - for example, other souls in Purgatory. What greater act of charity could you possibly perform?
As we said above, we can assist the Holy Souls in that mysterious process of purification they must undergo before entering Heaven. Here are some specific recommendations on how we, the Church Militant can acquire a plenary indulgence (even more than one!) for the Church Suffering. We found these suggestions on Father Zuhlsdodrf's excellent blog. Direct your attention especially to the multiple indulgences we can acquire during the eight days from November 1 through November 8. Imagine: You can free eight souls from their suffering in Purgatory by next Sunday!
From the Handbook of IndulgencesVisiting a Church or an Oratory on All Souls DayA plenary (“full”) indulgence, which is applicable only to the souls in Purgatory is granted to the Christian faithful who devoutly visit a church or an oratory on (November 2nd,) All Souls Day.Will you not, for love, try to gain these indulgences? Make a plan.Requirements for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence on All Souls Day (2 Nov)
- Visit a church and pray for souls in Purgatory
- Say one “Our Father” and the “Apostles Creed” in the visit to the church
- Say one “Our Father” and one “Hail Mary” for the Holy Father’s intentions (that is, the intentions designated by the Holy Father each month)
- Worthily receive Holy Communion (ideally on the same day if you can get to Mass)
- Make a sacramental confession within 20 days of All Souls Day
- For a plenary indulgence be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin (otherwise, the indulgence is partial, not plenary, “full”).
You can acquire one plenary indulgence a day.A partial indulgence can be obtained by visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed. You can gain a plenary indulgence visiting a cemetery each day between 1 November and 8 November. These indulgences are applicable only to the Souls in Purgatory.A plenary indulgence, applicable only the Souls in Purgatory, is also granted when you visit a church or a public oratory on 2 November. While visiting the church or oratory say one Our Father and the Apostles Creed.
My friend Fr. Finigan has a good explanation of being detached from sin and the disposition you need to gain indulgences. HERE
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