Remaining Devoted to the Church Suffering on This All Souls Day at Work

It's All Soul's Day. We're at work. Our time and attention must be devoted to our present duties. But still we want to also remain devoted to the Church Suffering - the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Here's something that might assist us in that worthy endeavor. Our spiritual guide takes us deep into our current situation - the Present Moment. This Moment is all we have, now and at any other time of our lives. 

Being fully attentive to our work without succumbing to distractions and temptations is one way to remain fully present in our work. We might see this as a practical necessity if we're devoted to producing the best possible product or service in our respective businesses. But the idea of the Present Moment reaches beyond this practical view. We've discussed this many times in the past.

Briefly, the Present Moment is all we have. Our past is over. The future is basically unknown and, of course, hasn't arrived yet. That leaves us here and now. 

Indeed, if you think about this, we're always in the Present Moment. That's where we actually live from moment to moment.

Remember this as we read our spiritual guide's wise words. He provides us with a great example of someone who lived in the Present Moment - the Good Thief. 

“Let us, out of love for the will of God, embrace and conform ourselves to our own life as it is at this very moment, with all its labors, pains, and sacrifices, even though we ourselves may be the cause of the bitterness of our present situation, offering it all to God in expiation for our faults and for His greater glory and our sanctification. Let us, in this, imitate the good thief who, when he was about to die, did not look at his past life save to turn away from it with deepest contrition; nor did he look to the future, for he had none; but embraced wholeheartedly the present moment, painful as it was, in satisfaction for his sins. Then, responding to the grace of the moment, he humbly asked Jesus to remember him when He entered His kingdom. This was enough to justify him and open the gates of heaven to him the very day he expired. Oh, if we would thus sanctify our present moment! What great graces, what ineffable treasures, what sublime sanctity we would attain!

“This admirable example of the good thief should serve as an encouragement to us never to hesitate to accept and offer to God all the pains of our present life, even though we may realize that we ourselves are the cause of them. For if we detest our faults and firmly resolve never to fall into them again, their bitter consequences will be for us a powerful means of sanctification, and the infinite glory of the merciful love of Jesus will shine forth in our lives. Indeed, the foremost reason why God permits the faults of men is that His glory may be manifested in their cure; and if God is glorified in us, what does anything else matter? In conclusion, let us sanctify the present moment by embracing it wholeheartedly, for it is the manifestation of God’s will in our regard and in it is the grace whose fruits we must return to God. This is our gift of every day and of every moment.” (Fr. Victorino Osende, O.P.)

I especially like Father's example of the good thief. Talk about being in the moment and living it to the max! There he was hanging next to Our Lord, suffering, awaiting death. Somehow, despite his sordid past, he received the grace to realize - to some degree - Who it was that he was sharing those present moments. And, again with sufficient grace, he spoke up. We all know the result of this. 

No matter what "labors, pains, and sacrifices" might be filling each of our present moments right now, would that we could be as recollected as the good thief.  Would that we, in our present moment, offer any difficulties, temptations, and suffering that may be part of this present moment for the Holy Souls, on this their special day. In His Mercy, Our Lord may reward us in some way, as He rewarded the good thief.