Come join us, at Holy Mass, as we
reflect on the Word of God
and feed on the Bread of Life
The day after All Saints Day is All Souls Day and shifts from a celebratory tone to one of prayer and penance. The rest of the month is dedicated to them. Why is this?
Because Sacred Scripture, the Church Councils, the Catechism, and the saints all teach that it is a good and pious practice to pray and do penance for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:45, Council of Trent, Canon 13, Catechism #1032). And when we die, we will likely need the same charity shown to us.
The Church knows we are prone to become lax in our devotions and so, in Her wisdom, She sets aside a month for this important spiritual work of mercy. And in her generosity, the Church has given us a special opportunity in the first 8 days of November. On each of the first 8 days, the faithful can gain a plenary indulgence for the poor souls, under the usual conditions (see below), by visiting a cemetery and saying prayers for the dead.
A plenary indulgence cancels out all the temporal punishment due to sin! We can free a poor soul every day from November 1st through the 8th!
But did you know the Church grants a plenary indulgence (under the usual conditions) any day of the year for any one of the following Pius practices:
+Reading Sacred Scripture for 30 minutes
+Praying the Rosary in a group (like your family)
+Praying the Stations of the Cross in a church
+Spending 30 minutes in Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.
If you gain the indulgence from any one of these practices it can be applied to yourself or to the poor souls.
Of course, whether or not we obtain the indulgence, our prayers for the poor souls bring comfort to them during their purification and potentially reduce the duration of their stay in Purgatory.
It’s a mercy that the entire Church comes together in this shared effort to pray for the souls of all the departed. It’s a time of remembrance and a source of solace for those mourning the loss of loved ones. But it’s so much more – our devotions can result in a partial or total remittance of sin for these souls and by our intention to help them, we grow in love and merit before God. It’s a win-win, and that awareness should incite us to pray and sacrifice more fervently for them!
- covenantcatholic.org
