All Souls Day • Those who have died are not truly separated from us; we remain united as members of the Body of Christ. We are on a journey together to eternal life, and we need to keep the dead in our hearts and in our prayers. I hope that celebrating All Souls together, and remembering the 75 souls who have passed from our parishes, will help you in three ways:

1. Increase your FAITH in Jesus, risen from the dead, judge of the living and the dead, and giver of Eternal life to all His faithful ones.
2. Increase your HOPE in God's mercy. Christian hope is not, "I hope something good happens." We know for certain that the dead will rise and we pray that we, too, would be in their number. God wants to save all his children and all we need to do is say "Yes", and not "No", to God's plan.
3. Increase your LOVE. Love is stronger than death; the death of loved ones hurts because it stretches our love beyond the grave. Your love, though, is not broken and the Father's love for you is unbreakable. Hold fast to his love. Prayers for the dead strengthen our love for those who have gone before us.

(2 Nov 2021)

Going Deeper: You can receive a plenary indulgence for the dead during the month of November by going to a cemetery and praying for the dead under the usual conditions (Confession, Communion, and prayers for the Holy Father's intentions).

Thank you Lisa Marie! Powered by Patrons. All $3 and $5 patrons will receive a free copy of my book Oriens: A Pilgrimage Through Advent and Christmas.