ALL SOULS DAY

On this month of November we are reminded once again to commemorate ALL the faithful departed souls.

All Souls’ Day is a day set aside for honouring the dead. It is a day primarily celebrated in the Catholic Church and a few other Christian denominations. Most protestant denominations do not recognize the commemoration of the Faithful Departed souls and they disagree with the theology behind it.

As Catholics we truly believe that through our traditions and teachings of the Church that one day the faithful departed may be cleansed of their sins so that they may meet God face to face in Heaven.

Our loving prayers and by offering Masses for the souls in purgatory will help them in this transition from purgatory to reach the state of full grace. God wants every one of his child to reach the full state of grace, perfect in holiness. Jesus has promised, “… I shall raise him/her on the last day,” (Jn 6:40).

We shall set aside the whole month of November as a month of intercession to pray for all the souls in Purgatory and all the souls whom we have forgotten to pray for.

On All Souls’ Day we shall visit the cemeteries or columbarium of our departed ones and clean up the premises. We say extra prayers or light up candles and place flowers at the departed souls’ graves.

May all the faithful departed of our loved ones rest in peace.

ONE WITH THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

On this day All Saints' Day we commemorate the departed who have attained the beatific vision. It is a day when we celebrate ALL of the faithful who are in Heaven.

Saints are ordinary people who have given their hearts to Jesus. They were sinners but they were made a choice to be loyal to God and today they enjoy the rewards in heaven. 

On the All Saints' Day, this is precisely what we believe as Christians: there is an eternal city, a paradise of God, an eternity of rest and being with the Lord and in the communion of saints.

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me."

This Beatitude that our Lord speaks describe the life of saints in this world. In this life, the path of sainthood – that is, of being a Christian – is one of hardship and sorrow.

Today we see there is a lack of respect for Christianity and the hated of Christianity. We face our own kind of martyrdom. If we practice love and mercy, we will be mocked.

In this life, we hold forth Christ as the One who calls us saints and who goes with us as we walk by faith. Then, in the life to come, we shall live forever in a paradise without fear, darkness, shame, sin, death, pain, suffering or tears. This is the hope and future of all who are called saints in Christ and to be the heroic witness for Christ.

A Sight to the Blind Man

The Gospel passage (MK 10: 46-52) is a story of Jesus restoring the sight to the blind man Bartimaeus. His knowledge and power are infinitely beyond ours. This miracle has always fascinated me. How frequently we speak about sight impairments/injuries, eye diseases, stigmatisms, cataracts and 20/20 vision! (20/20 vision is considered “normal” vision, meaning you should be able to read a letter at 20 feet).

 

As Jesus, His disciples, and a crowd were leaving Jericho. They encountered a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, sitting by the roadside. The buzz from the crowd told Bartimaeus that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He began to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.”

 

Bartimaeus is an example of what our faith and trust in Jesus has to be. He has been persistent and is not put off by the abuse of the crowd telling him to keep quiet. But he was shouting and waving all the more – “Son of David, have pity on me.” This attracts the attention of Jesus. Then, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

 

His only prayer was, “Lord, I want to see.” With that desire and with the healing of Jesus, a whole new world opens up and he is ushered into the light of the day. Bartimaeus’ faith has healed him and immediately he received his sight and threw his blanket rather his security and he started to follow Him up the road.

 

We all have eyes to look but do not see what is important in life? And at times we all fail to experience or to see the hand of God at work in our lives. God’s gift of life to our response is: “The Lord has done great things for me, and we are filled with joy,” (Ps 126:3).

Power of the Rosary

GThe Rosary is a traditional vocal prayer loved by countless saints and encouraged by the Church. It is a prayer and devotion that has changed the lives of many.

 

St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, was promulgated on 16 October 2002, just a couple of years before his death. He referred to devotion to the Rosary as a “genuine training in holiness” that guided Christians in the contemplation of the great mysteries of our Faith. The Rosary has been a unique weapon in spiritual warfare and especially in praying for peace throughout the world.

 

The Rosary is also a great defender of family life at a time when divorce, “gay marriages”, contraception and abortion have caused disunity, diluted family values and disrupted the sanctity and beauty of the family.

 

It is essential that we pray the Rosary for peace in the world and for the family; but more than anything, the Rosary guides us on our journey to holiness. What gives meaning to our life? To know that God loves us and wants us to know and love Him in return, to love one another, to serve Him and to join Him in heaven.

 

The Rosary serves as a guide and constant reminder of how our lives must be shaped by our desire to be more and more like Christ. Our Mother quietly shares this truth with us in the movements of the Rosary through the Mysteries of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection and helping us to be conformed ever more closely to Christ until we attain true holiness.

 

The Rosary is capable of healing the wounds in our family, whether caused by violence or the breaking up of the family unit. It is not a mindless rote prayer. It is a prayer that focuses on Christ by seeing through the eyes of His Mother who is also Our Mother.

 

As you begin your journey with the Rosary, be sure to read through meditatively, so that you can truly understand the fruits of this great spiritual weapon.

 

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.

Rosary is Catholics' Favorite Prayer

October is here and the month of the Rosary has begun.  As we come to the end of the year of the Family (themed: Jesus: The Heart of The Family), let us never forget that family life is a privilege that requires the service of prayer and sacrifice. The Rosary is a prayer of healing and of deliverance from crisis in marriage and family life. It is a weapon of prayer because it contains the Gospel mysteries.

A woman was once asked why she prayed the Rosary every day. “All I can tell you is if I say a Rosary, the day works; and if I don’t, nothing works.” This is true not because of magic or superstition but because of Mary’s maternal intercession and the power of the mysteries of the life of Christ. Each mystery of the Rosary is a wondrous opportunity to become more present to Christ.

During the last two centuries, people have witnessed more Church-approved Marian apparitions than during all other centuries combined. Why such an increase? Because of the difficulties of modern times. Mary has been coming to earth and appearing to people in our day to give warning about bad things that will happen if people don’t repent and pray the Rosary.

    

Our Blessed Mother loves her children and doesn’t want us to suffer calamities, so she encourages us to pray the Rosary. She wants us to experience peace in our families, societies, and nations … she desires that sinners be converted and people experience the abundant life in Christ, … so she tells us to pray the Rosary. 

The Rosary isn’t just an instrument for world peace. Pope St. John Paul II, the great modern saint, had said at the start of his pontificate that the Rosary was his favorite prayer and he strongly encouraged the world to pray it. He insisted that we pray the Rosary for the sake of the family which is under attack (widely by the irresponsible use of modern technology) and the crisis in marriage.

In his book, “Praying the Rosary with Pope Francis”, our Holy Father reminds us that praying the Rosary prepares our hearts to receive God’s grace and teaches us to place ourselves in the hands of God, allowing Him to guide our steps along the path of our faith journey.  Praying the Rosary allows us to make room for God, to glorify His name, and to make Him truly present in our lives.

Mary, Mother of the Church, and the “Mother of the Church of the Home” guard, protect and enlighten our families.