Letter from the Pastor
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November 1, 2020
The very beautiful month of November begins with two feasts of great mystery: All Saints and All Souls. We first celebrate the Saints, the countless men, women and children who at this moment behold the face of God. They have reached their goal of existence; they are the truly successful people. God created us for two reasons, to know, love and serve Him here on earth and to be happy with Him for all eternity; the saints fulfilled that. The only goal we should really have on earth is to become saints. All our other earthly goals are short-termed and should lead us to holiness and saintliness, if not, than we need to change our earthly goals.
Of course, we know we always fall short, we are sinful people, imperfect people and we fail. At the time of our death, if there is any stain of sin, fault or imperfection on our souls, then for us to attain true happiness which we seek, and to see God face to face, we need to be purified, or as the Sisters told us “We need to be immaculately clean when we arrive at God’s House.” The place for our spiritual bath or shower is called Purgatory. Once we celebrate the saints in their glory, we turn to those who are in Purgatory, the Holy Souls. All the souls in Purgatory will go to Heaven, and we who are united with them as members of the One Body of Christ, the Church, pray for the Holy Souls.
Of course, we can never judge a soul when they are on earth; and we certainly can’t judge them in death. Even though, we think or wish or even hope someone to be in Heaven, it is not within our knowledge to say so; that happens between the person and our Lord alone at the moment of death. So it is imperative that we pray for the dead, especially our loved ones. If we think everyone is in Heaven, then we are denying our loved ones our prayers and sacrifices. November is dedicated to pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and is a month of transition from the summer to the dark cold days of winter. Death is like November, death is a transition from this life to Eternal life, and so it is fitting that in November we pray for the dead.
Vote
When Communists were threatening to take over in post-WWII Italy, Pope Pius XII reminded Catholics in 1946 that when important issues arise, Catholics have an obligation to vote.
“The exercise of the right to vote is an act of grave moral responsibility, at least with respect to the electing of those who are called to give to a country its constitution and its laws, and in particular those that affect the sanctification of holy days of obligation, marriage, the family, schools and the just and equitable regulation of many social questions. It is the Church’s duty to explain to the faithful the moral duties that flow from this electoral right.”
Our common responsibility toward each other for the common good, points to a strong obligation to vote if at all possible. Voting is not an absolute moral obligation, but very important, if you can.
Sadly, there are people who vote only about their own concerns, or their own prosperity and personal good. However, as Catholics, we need to think about the common good of all people and our society and who will first, respect all life, marriage and family, health and education, etc. There is a hierarchy of values, of which the first is the Right to Life. So, candidates who would promote things that tear at the very heart of society need to be excluded.
As Voltaire, who quoted an Italian proverb: “Do not let the (best) perfect be the enemy of the good,” there is no perfect candidate, no perfect political party or platforms. As an American voter you have a set of principles for choosing how to vote, but we are more than American citizens, we are first and foremost Catholics and as Catholics, one should think and be guided with the mind of the Church. It is our work to bring Christ who is the Way, Truth and Life to all areas of our world, which we are able to influence for the better.
May, Our Lady the Immaculate Conception, our national Patroness, pray for us. Amen.