Halloween! Witches? Something much better

In the All Saints' Day we rejoice and treat those who have died in God's grace and are already in heaven. For the dead we pray for those who are still in purgatory, so that, purified as soon as possible, they may enjoy heavenly glory.

Celebrations to reflect on

It invites us to think about the mystery of death - which Jesus himself wanted to take on so that we could overcome it - and the final destiny of our lives: achieve the ultimate happiness you have made us forThe possible failure of hell, or the "repayment" of purgatory once duly purified.

The Communion of Saints

And at the heart of this celebration is the faith in the communion of saints that we confess at the end of the Creed. "Since all believers form one body, the good of one is communicated to the others.... It is therefore necessary to believe that there is a communion of goods in the Church.. But the most important member is Christ, since He is the head... Thus the good of Christ is communicated to all the members, and this communication is made by the sacraments of the Church" (St. Thomas, symb. 10) (Catechism, 947). We are never alone, Jesus Christ and all our brothers and sisters in the faith accompany and support us.

In the early Jerusalem community, the disciples persevered in the apostles' teaching, communionThe breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). Communion in the faith: The faith of the faithful is the faith of the Church received from the Apostles, a treasure of life that is enriched when it is shared (Catechism, 949).

The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one considered what he possessed as his own, but they shared all things (Acts 4:32). Communion of charityIn the "communion of saints". none of us lives to himself, any more than any of us dies to himself. (Rom 14:7). If one member suffers, all the others suffer with him. If one member is honored, all the others share in his joy.

Now ye are the body of Christ, and every one of you is a part of it (1 Cor. 12:26-27). The least of our acts done with charity The solidarity between all men, living or dead, which is based on the communion of saints, has repercussions for the benefit of all.

Intercession of the saints

Let us also count on the intercession of the saints. "Because those in heaven are more intimately united with Christ, they consolidate the whole Church more firmly in holiness... they do not cease to intercede for us before the Father. They present, through the one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus, the merits which they have acquired on earth... Their fraternal solicitude is thus of great help to our weakness" (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium 49). Some saints, near the time of their death, were aware of the great good that they could continue to do from Heaven: "Do not weep, I will be more useful to you after my death and I will help you more effectively than during my life" (St. Dominic of Guzman, dying, to his brothers, cf. Jordan of Saxony, lib 43). "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth" (St. Teresa of the Child Jesus, verba) (cf. Catechism 956).

Let us especially invoke Mary, Mother of the Lord and mirror of all holiness. May she, the all holy one, make us faithful disciples of her son Jesus Christ, and may she take the deceased who are in purgatory to Heaven as soon as possible. Amen.