November

The Communion of Saints - As Catholics we regularly state our belief in "the communion of saints"  and as we do we are declaring that all the baptized,  those now living, those gone before us who are  undergoing purification,  and those who have attained the goal of heaven  are all united together as part of the one great mystical  Body of Christ.    The month of November with its special character as a  Month of Remembrance  certainly brings the reality of the communion of saints home to us in a very practical way as it reminds us that we are all in this great enterprise of sanctification  in Christ together, and we must help one another in order to achieve  its ultimate ends .  We began this month by honoring all the saints, those known and unknown, who are now living in the presence of God as we all hope one day to be.  On the very next day we begin to remember those who still need out prayers in order to complete whatever reparation and preparation is necessary in order for them to be admitted to heaven.   In this we are joining the saints in heaven who are also praying for the souls in Purgatory and for us as well until we are all finally among them and at peace in the presence of God. This Sunday at the 10:30 AM Mass we will prayerfully remember by name all those members of our parish who have died since last November 1st in hopes that by our prayers they will reach heaven. As we come to appreciate the reality of the communion of saints it becomes clearer to us that   this prayerful remembrance is not a purely unselfish exercise, for we trust, and rightly so, that as we have prayed for the souls who have gone before us  so too will they pray for us once  they reach heaven. So let us not be tempted to use the excuse that we really didn't know many or any of those listed in our Book of Remembrance personally as a reason not to participate. Indeed, let us have the wisdom to realize that if we invest in nothing else for our future well being   then we should at least invest our prayers in  the ultimate future that is promised to us by assisting those now gone before us to reach heaven so that they will return the favor to us when needed!

Prayer for November - The Month of Remembrance:

Lord God, we can hope for others nothing better than the happiness we desire for ourselves.  Therefore, I pray, do not separate me after death from those I have tenderly loved on earth. Grant that where I am they may be with me and that I may enjoy their presence in heaven after having been so often deprived of it on earth.

Lord God, I ask you to receive your beloved children into your life giving heart; after this brief life on earth give them eternal happiness.  Amen
 

St. Ambrose of Milan

Fr. Edward Healey