As we enter into the month of November, the Church’s liturgical calendar begins to draw to a close and the liturgy challenges us to focus upon the Last Things, namely, death, heaven, hell and purgatory. As we do so, we are reminded of our Christian duty to honor the saints in heaven and to pray for all who have died and are presently awaiting entrance into God’s heavenly Kingdom. To that end, the first two days of November provide us with two important feast days that we should approach with seriousness and solemnity.
On November 1st, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. In doing so, we honor all those who have gone before us who, by their perseverance, have gained entrance into heaven. We are also reminded that it is God’s will that we be with Him in Paradise and that many souls – both famous and obscure – enjoy the redemption merited by Jesus and eternal life with Him in Heaven. The vision of Saint John recorded in the Book of Revelation (7:9-10; 13-14) expresses this beautifully:
After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.” Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
On November 2nd, the Church observes the Feast of All Souls. This feast day offers us the opportunity to remember and pray for all of our beloved dead, especially the souls in Purgatory, that spiritual state of the soul in which it is purified before entering into Heaven..
The theological basis for the Feast of All Souls and praying for the dead is the simple acknowledgement of human frailty. Speaking honestly, we must admit that relatively few people achieve perfection during their earthly lives, but rather go to the grave marked with traces of sinfulness. Thus, some process of purification is necessary before a soul encounters God face-to-face. As Catholics, we refer to this process of purification as “Purgatory”. Further, we also believe that the prayers of the living – especially the offering of Holy Mass – for the souls of the departed can win purifying grace that hastens their entrance into the Eternal Kingdom.
(Fr. Michael Caridi)