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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Souls Day, November 2

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Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayer Card
Holy Souls in Purgatory
Prayer Card

 

The feast day of All Souls’ Day is celebrated on November 2.  It is always celebrated the day after All Saint’s Day which is celebrated November 1.

The Church devotes the month of November to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

 

To understand the doctrine of purgatory, it is necessary to understand several beliefs of the catholic church.

  • It is good to pray for the dead
  • We believe in tradition
  • Nothing unclean may enter heaven

Praying for the dead is a tradition which precedes the New Testament. In 2 Maccabees 23:45-46 it says:

“But if he was looking to the splendid reward that was laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.“

Before we can enter into the presence of God in heaven we must be cleansed and purified.  This process is known as purgatory.  The bible teaches us that it is good to pray for the dead.  Praying for those souls who are in the purification process in purgatory relieves the suffering of  both the soul in purgatory and my own soul.

 

Many of the Saints had devotions of praying for the holy souls in purgatory.  St. Gertrude the Great, St. Padre Pio and St. Margaret Mary are well known for their devotion to helping the souls in purgatory through prayer.

The Catholic Church believes in the power of prayer.  When we pray for some one else this is called intercessory prayer.  We ask the saints in heaven to pray for us on our journey. (The saints are interceding for us.)   We also pray to Our Lord to guide those we love and hasten the journey of those who have died and are entering heaven.  (We are interceding for the souls in purgatory.)

 

We believe that the more souls who are praying the better! The following prayer is a popular prayer asking for mercy for those who have died.

 

 

“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious Blood of thy divine son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Why Pray for the Dead?

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Candlelight Prayer
Candlelight Prayer

To understand the doctrine of purgatory, it is necessary to understand several beliefs of the catholic church.

  • It is good to pray for the dead
  • We believe in tradition
  • Nothing unclean may enter heaven

Praying for the dead is a tradition which precedes the New Testament. In 2 Maccabees 23:45-46 it says:

“But if he was looking to the splendid reward that was laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.“

It is good to pray for the dead. Why? If there are only two choices after death…heaven or hell...what purpose is there in praying for the dead? The historical practice of praying for the dead tells us that the belief that our prayer is heard and answered was an ancient belief.

The Catholic Church believes in tradition as well as scripture. The four marks of the church are stated in the Creed. We believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Being apostolic means that not only can the church be traced back to the apostles, but our beliefs can be traced back to the apostles as well. Remember, Jesus came to fulfill the law not to change it. (Matt 5:17)

Oral tradition was the method used to pass on the faith in the beginning. The bible was not even written down during the Apostolic Age. In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 we are told the following:

“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the tradition that you were taught by us either by word of mouth or by our letter.”

Praying for the dead is an established tradition of the early Christians. One example of this is that in the fourth century St. Monica requested St. Augustine to remember her in the mass after she died.

Most of us know that we are unworthy to enter heaven. Jesus came to save us, however we still need to be cleansed by purifying fire before entering heaven. In Hebrews 12:29 it states the Our God is a consuming fire. We believe that before we enter heaven the fire of God’s love consumes the scars and effects of the sins we committed in out life. This explains the doctrine of purgatory as we understand it.

It is very comforting to know that our prayers make a difference. It is also comforting to know that I will be purified before facing God in heaven. A God whose love is so strong it is compared to fire….a fire which will consume and purify me.

Another way to look at purification is a cleansing.  Before we go to a party or celebration we usually bathe and dress up to look appropriate.  The purification we receive before partaking in the heavenly banquet makes us able to see God without the stain and scars of the sin which occurred during our lifetime.

We attend the heavenly banquet appropriately cleansed and dressed!

Praying for those souls who are in the purification process in purgatory relieves the suffering of  both the soul in purgatory and my own soul.

The following prayer was given to St. Gertrude the Great by our Lord in a vision.  Her feast day is celebrated on Nov. 16.

“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious Blood of thy divine son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”

Just as I pray on a regular basis for my loved ones who I confidently hope are already in heaven, I pray that those who love me will in turn pray for me after my death.

Prayer can heal!  Prayer is powerful!

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Faith, Feast Days

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Saint’s Day, Feast Day November 1

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All Saints Day Communion by Bra Angelico Public Domain Image
All Saints Day Communion by Bra Angelico

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Saint’s Day .                                                                                                                                                                                                        The Solemnity of All Saints Day is also known as All Hallows Eve. It is celebrated on November 1 by Western Christianity. It honors all souls who have arrived in heaven. Many countries celebrate it as a national holiday. It is followed by All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2 in which Catholics pray for those still on their journey to heaven. This journey is known as purgatory. Catholics believe that life is a spiritual pilgrimage. Death is the beginning of our journey through purgatory to heaven. Purgatory is where a soul is prepared and purified to enter heaven.

A Saint is a person whose soul has arrived in its’ eternal home…heaven.  The journey to heaven is not easy!    We ask for the prayers of those in heaven to aid us on our journey to heaven.

 

 

True learning consists in the science of the saints:

that is to say…in knowing how to love Jesus Christ.

Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori; Feast day August 1

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Apostle, Faith, Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Simon and St. Jude, Feast Day October 28

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St. Simon and St. Jude Public Domain Image
St. Simon and St. Jude

 

The feast day of St. Simon and St. Jude is celebrated on the same day…October 28.  They were both Apostles and Martyrs.  St. Simon is the patron saint of tanners.  St. Jude is the patron saint of impossible causes.

St. Simon was the second Bishop of Jerusalem. He preached in Egypt and Persia with St. Jude where both suffered martyrdom.

There are two stories of his death. The first has him dying by crucifixion in Samaria. The second has him sawed in half in Persia.

St. Simon and St. Jude Public Domain Image
St. Simon and St. Jude

St. Jude was the son of Cleohas, who died a martyr and Mary who stood at the foot of the cross. He was the brother of St. James the Lesser. and a cousin to Jesus. He was a fisherman.  He is not to be confused with Judas Iscariot, who was a traitor.

After the resurrection. Jude preached in Syria and Persia with St. Simon. He was a healer and an exorcist. He was beaten to death with a club then beheaded in Persia. His relics are at St. Peter’s Basilica, in Rome.

As apostles, both St. Simon and St. Jude became close to Jesus.  They truly believed he was the Lord.  After the Resurrection they spent their life spreading the good news of salvation.  Their martyrdom shows us the depth of their love for Jesus.

 

Come my light, and illumine my darkness.

Come my Life and revive me from death.

Come, my Physician, and heal my wounds.

Come, Flame of Divine Love, and burn up the thorns of my sins, kindling my heart with the flame of your love.

Come my King, sit upon the throne of my heart and reign there.

For you alone are my King and my Lord.

 

Prayer of St. Dimitri of Rostov;  Feast Day October 28

 

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary

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Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Do Evil Spirits Really Exist?

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The Fall of Man Michelangelo
The Fall of Man
Michelangelo

 

On Halloween, we see many representations of good and evil: angels, witches, devils, monsters, princesses, gangsters, rock stars, politicians, super heroes.

While we are made in the image of God, each of us has a temptation to do evil. Society glamorizes evil.

If we take the Bible seriously, we should not doubt the existence of Satan and evil spirits. Jesus refers to Satan and angels multiple times.

Satan is actually an angel. He fell from grace when he turned from God. He has been at war with God ever since.

It is only in modern times, that people have denied the existence of evil spirits. Halloween is a time when we should reflect on the good and evil evident around us.

Halloween (All Hallows Eve) comes on the night before All Saint’s Day. Halloween is a display of both good and evil. All Saint’s Day (November 1st) is a display of people who have overcome evil for the glory of God.

Angels have existed since the beginning of creation. They are servants and messengers of God. Unlike human beings they are pure spirits. During the life of Jesus they are always present. Archangel Gabriel announces his birth, they protect Jesus in his infancy, (Mat 4) serve him in the desert, and they strengthen him in his agony in the garden,

The Feast Day of the Archangels is celebrated on September 29.  The Feast Day of the Guardian Angels is celebrated on Oct. 2.

The Church teaches that Satan, in the beginning, was a good angel, but became evil by choice.  We learn in the bible that Jesus came to conquer evil.

“Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil;  for the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The Son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.“  1 John 8

When Jesus is praying in the Garden before his crucifixion, he prayed for unity among Christians.  He also prayed for protection against satan.

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.”  (John 17:15)

The fallen angels have never repented for their fall from grace. Their hatred of God leads them to seduce men into choosing their evil ways.

We have free will. God did not create evil. On Halloween, we should reflect on which path we wish to follow…the path of God…or the path of evil.

Being neutral is not an option, it is evil; the sin of omission, laziness, and being lukewarm.

The devil is always trying to tempt us to do evil.  We need to turn to God with the Lord’s prayer when we need to be strengthened.

‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.   (Matthew 6:13)

We need to be aware of the evil around us and the temptations which may cause us to go astray.  How else can we choose to do good rather than evil?   Pray!  Pray!  Pray!

 

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Faith, Franciscan Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Capistrano, Feast Day October 23

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St. John of Capistrano
St. John of Capistrano

 

The feast day of St. John Capistrano is celebrated on October 23.  He is the patron saint of chaplains, military chaplains and judges.

St. John was born in 1386.  He was the son of a German knight.  He was well educated studying civil and church law.  By the age of 26 he became governor of Perugia.   When a battle broke out against the Malatestes he tried to broker peace.  He became a prisoner of war.  During his time in prison, he encountered St. Francis of Assisi in a dream and experienced a conversion.  When released from prison he joined the Franciscans of Perugia.  Four years later he was ordained a priest.

St. John Capistrano was known for his preaching.  Great crowds gathered to hear him.  He was instrumental in reviving the faith.  He was a student of St. Bernadino of Siena who introduced him to the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.

During the crusades he preached in Hungary.  He visited the kings of Europe uniting them and their armies against invading forces.  In 1456, he led a Christian army to Belgrade.  When it appeared that they would be overpowered by the Muslims, he ran to the front line holding a crucifix crying

“Victory, Jesus, Victory!“

The Christian army won a great victory and Belgrade was freed from the siege.  Several months later,  St. John died at Villach in Austria after a painful infection.  He was canonized in 1724.

The following quote is taken from the treatise written by St. John Capistrano called “Mirror of the Clergy”.

Those who are called to the table of the Lord must glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life.  They must completely remove from their lives the filth and uncleanness of vice.  Their upright lives must make them like the salt of the earth for themselves and for the rest of mankind.  The brightness of their wisdom must make them like the light of the world that brings light to others.  They must learn from their eminent teacher, Jesus Christ, what he declared not only to his apostles and disciples, but also to all the priests and clerics who were to succeed them, when he said:  “You are the salt of the earth.  But what if salt goes flat?  How can you restore its flavor?  Then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

 

Quote of St. John Capistrano

October is the Month of the Most Holy Rosary.

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