All Saints All Souls
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November 1, 2025My Dear People of God:
We start the month of November by celebrating the lives of all the Saints, - canonized or uncanonized, -those through their holiness of life share in the heavenly banquet of God on November 1st. We don't worship them, we don't praise them as much as we praise the glory of God, we don't treat them and their images as idols but we look at their examples, we try to imitate their holiness of life and sacrificial love, and we venerate them, invoking their intercession as we continue our faith journey here on earth.
We ask their intercession because as saints, they bring us closer to Jesus. They remind us that holiness is possible in the midst of struggles and difficult moments, they remind us that, like them, we can also be witnesses of the great love and mercy of God. In the Book of Revelation, John had a vision of the great multitude from every race, wearing white robes, praising and blessing God. Who are they? One of the elders told John, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14) In the Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 2683, it states that saints, "contemplate God, praise him, and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. . .Their intercession is their most exalted service to Godísplan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world."
We also remember the souls of our faithful departed especially the souls in purgatory on November 2nd. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 1030-1031, it state that "All who die in Godís grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purifies, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect."
Although the word "Purgatory" does not appear in the Scripture, we believe that there is possibility of purification after death. In the Second book Maccabees, Judas Maccabees ends an offering in the temple on behalf of the fallen for the atonement of their sins. "For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin." (see 2 Maccabees 12:41-45) And so we offer prayers for our faithful departed trusting that after their purification, thru the mercy of God, they will join Him in the great banquet of love in heaven.
In celebration of these two great days, we see the significance of the Communion of saints found in our Creed. We, as the Body of Christ, are the faithful on earth (the Church Militant), the faithful in Purgatory (the Church Suffering) and the faithful in Heaven (the Church Triumphant) form this Communion of Saints in God.