Dear Parishioners,
The month of November brings to mind for me two predominant thoughts: thanksgiving and the deceased. Thanksgiving for me isn’t just a one-day celebration, but a month-long process of recognizing all for which I should be grateful. Looking for and thanking God for your blessings is good for the mind, soul, and body! So too is remembering the deceased. We give thanks for the gift of their life and pray for them in a special way this month. As you’ll see below, Pope Francis calls us to this special act of charity.
In this regard, you’ll notice on the front of today’s bulletin an image of the souls in Purgatory. It’s a photo taken from our cathedral, Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. This image is located on the front wall, behind the baldacchino, which is the large canopy structure held up by four marble columns. The painting is part of the cathedrals’ intent to depict the Church in its three stages of salvation: the Church Triumphant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Militant.
At the very top of the front wall is depicted the 3 Persons of the Trinity surrounded by the angels. The Blessed Virgin Mary is being crowned as queen of heaven and earth. Then the Church Triumphant, meaning all those persons who have died and are now in heaven, are represented by various male and female saints. This also is the will of the Father for us, but getting there involves the other stages of the Church.
Depicted below the Church Triumphant is the Church Suffering, which are the souls of the deceased whose love is being purified to be like that of God. Their suffering comes from 1) not yet being face-to-face with God, 2) not yet being in the presence of the angels and saints, and 3) the pain of moral conversion. Heaven requires each person to be free from all self-gratification and self-glorification. Only after much prayer and reflection can we understand this level of absolute selflessness which we bring into every relationship we have, even with our enemies.
Then there is the Church Militant, which is not painted on any wall in our cathedral. The Church Militant is found in the pews, meaning you and me. The path to salvation starts here, in the pews of the Church! Notice that we are not to be complacent and content but “militant”. There are actions and tasks that need to be done by each and every member of the Church for our salvation and the salvation of others. This is the most important work of our life. The pursuit of comfort, pleasure, and radical individualism are the poisons of our culture that get in the way of being “militant”.
Pope Francis alluded to all this when he said that “there is a communion of life among all those who belong to Christ…the baptized here on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and those in Heaven.” He said that this communion is “realized especially in intercessory prayer.” Prayer is an essential part of being Christian. Look to the Church Triumphant, while you pray for the Church Suffering, and be the Church Militant.
Gratefully,
Fr. Miller