"Lest We Forget"

In the center of one of the myriad New England towns lies a granite memorial to deceased war veterans. In large letters it reminds us: "Lest we forget" the sacrifices of those who have gone before us. A compilation of our Founder's homilies on Purgatory uses this same phrase for it's title: "Lest We Forget." November is dedicated in a special way to the memory of all the souls who have died in the grace of God. We Catholics believe that in order to see God face-to-face we need to be free from any attachment to sin. When our eyes are sore, it is painful to open our them to the sunlight. Spiritual writers tell us that the "pain" of Purgatory is the longing to be fully in the presence of our Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Church teaches that we can help the Holy Souls by prayers, Masses, sacrifices and good deeds. This short prayer directed to Our Divine Lord is a sort of theme song for this Month of the Holy Souls: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The Church gives the name Purgatory to [the] final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned." (CCC, no. 1031) As I grow older the list of relatives and friends already passed into eternity is growing. When I was on vacation, I enjoyed meeting up with about a dozen women, all of us high school classmates. One of the ladies, Bonnie, came despite having to use an oxygen tank for her lungs. Bonnie also suffered from cancer. The friend who hosted our celebration texted me that Bonnie died in mid October. All of our group have been affected by Bonnie's death. Our faith assures us that after death the friends and family we know appreciate every prayer we offer for them. Although they cannot help themselves, they can intercede for us.

Many times I have experienced almost immediate help when I pray to the Poor Souls.

The Sister who founded the Daughters of St. Paul in the USA, Mother Paula Cordero, had great devotion to the Holy Souls as she called the Souls in Purgatory. Whenever she started one of her many flights within the USA or overseas, Mother Paula would pray 100 times the "Eternal Rest..." prayer. She used her rosary beads and prayed the Eternal Rest's in groups of 10. On the Our Father beads she would pray, "My Jesus, mercy!" "The Church assists those in Purgatory through prayer and especially the Eucharist in their final process of purification." (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, page 154) By the way, if you don't have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or of the "United States Catechism for Adults" both published by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, you can visit one of our USA Pauline Book & Media Centers, or go to our on-line store at Pauline.org. The Catechism of the Catholic Church comes in two sizes: one is a smaller more compact edition with a hard cover (The text is complete. However some of the many indexes are eliminated.) The original larger size is complete with larger print. I wish you a blessed month of November, one that will bring you closer to God, as you go deeper and deeper into the life of grace.