Remembrance and the Communion of Saints

As we celebrate the feast of All Saints this Sunday and All Souls on November 2, we are reminded of the importance of the Communion of Saints to which we belong. By our faith and baptism, we are connected with all Catholics and other Christians throughout the world and throughout time as fellow members of the mystical Body of Christ. Just as we pray for one another here on earth, we pray for the salvation of our loved ones who have gone before us and ask the saints in heaven to pray for us too (it’s nice to have friends in high places)! In fact, St. Paul reminds us that we are all called to be saints, since we want to be with God forever in heaven. The saints are not super-humans who never sin, but people like us who strive to grow in faith and seek God’s mercy in Christ. We are all in this together!

In the month of November, our readings often focus on the final days of this life and of this world. This is a reality check for sure, but also a reminder of our belief that this is not the end of the story! The Church has the tradition of praying throughout this month for all of our beloved deceased and for, “all whose faith is known to God alone.” In addition to the Mass of Remembrance we will celebrate at each of our parishes next weekend, our Collaborative Parishes are continuing our custom of placing a “Book of Names” near the front of the church as a visible way for us to remember our loved ones. The book is placed near the Pascal Candle, lit for the first time at Easter. The Pascal Candle symbolizes the Resurrection of Christ, in which we and our loved ones hope our bodies will share when Christ comes back in glory! These are the same books of remembrance we used last year, so if there are any new names you wish to have inscribed, we have a new way to do so. To avoid sharing germs, please bring a paper with the names printed clearly and place it in the basket by the Book of Names. Once a week we will have one person inscribe those new names in the book. These books will remain in place through the feast of Christ the King and Thanksgiving, then be put away as we prepare for the beginning of Advent.