All Saints Day and All Souls Day

All Saints Day, celebrated on November 1st, takes precedence over the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time. All Saints Day acknowledges all saints in heaven. Let us feel close to the Saints in glory, especially as we pray the ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ at mass.

All Souls Day, celebrated on November 2nd, is a time to remember our loved ones who have died but who are not yet in heaven. We pray for them and offer good works for them. November is a traditional time for visiting graves of loved ones, as is the anniversary of death. Grandparents are encouraged to bring grandchildren to visit the graves of family members. This way the grandchildren will know family members and know where they are buried.

Please find with this bulletin an Insert ... click here for the bulletin and insert. One side of the insert gives us information on cremation. As the cremated remains are the remains of a redeemed person in Christ Jesus, we give respect to the cremated remains as we do to the deceased body. We bury the remains in a cemetery. The other side of the insert contains information of prayers to pray while visiting the graves/cemetery and a novena of ‘Prayer for the Departed.’

We always pray for our loved ones who as the First Eucharistic Prayer says, “have gone before us marked with the sign of faith”. We read in the General Introduction of the Order of Christian Funerals, “At the death of a Christian whose life of faith was begun in the waters of baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end nor does it breach the bonds forged in life.”

These bonds continue in death. Only those people go to heaven who are free of Venial Sin and Mortal Sin, and who are perfected as the Heavenly Father is perfect. Venial Sin wounds God’s life in us. Mortal Sin kills God’s life in us. When we die, if there are any Venial Sins that have not been forgiven and if there are any penance due for forgiven sins then we go to purgatory until we have enough contrition and penance, and have become perfected as the Heavenly Father. Our prayers and good works help the dead. Just like our prayers and good works help the living. Everyone is encouraged to pray and offer works for our loved ones living and dead. Confer in the Bible: 2 Maccabees 12:39-46, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 1 John 5:16-17.