Yesterday we celebrated All Saints Day.  There are many saints we do not know.  Today we celebrate All Souls' Day for all the souls in Purgatory.

The Church, like a good mother, does not forget her children.  Our family should be in that number of saints.  If we know what side we are on, the side of Jesus Christ, we will escape the great distress mentioned in the First Reading of Daniel.

Those who died already, some will rise and will live forever; some will rise and go to Hell forever.  The worst thing about Hell is to never be with God.  Those who followed God will shine brightly like stars in Heaven.

We were baptized into Christ, into His death.  When we were baptized, we received new life, and sin has to die.  Go into the water and die to this kind of life and rise to new life.  If we would understand Baptism, we would sin no more.  We have to keep dying to whatever is not of God.

If we die in sin (not mortal sin) and have not died to all sin in our life, we go to Purgatory to get cleaned up.  Some people already are condemned, because they do not believe in Jesus.  The Father gave everyone to Jesus, but some are not making it.  Jesus does not want to lose anyone to Hell, but we have a free will.  We have to know how to use that free will.  God the Father and Jesus want us to go to Heaven.  Either we have the horror of Hell or life with God.

Purgatory is a place of both joy and sadness.  It is a place of joy because the souls know that one day they will be with God, and sadness because they are not there yet.  To get into Heaven, every trace of sin must be eliminated.  We cannot allow anyone not of God to be in our thoughts, words, actions, etc.

The souls in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves, thus we pray for them.  The penalty of Purgatory is like a fire - a purifying fire.  There is real suffering in Purgatory.  Souls become more pure and clean.  The pain in Purgatory is greater than any pain on earth.  The souls in Purgatory cannot do anything to get out sooner.  We can though, and we can do so much for them.  The more a person was steeped in sin on earth, the longer it will take for that soul to go to Heaven.  How much you desired to go to Heaven while on earth or how much were you steeped in sin!

Anyone who dies in mortal sin goes to Hell and can never get out.  When you die, it is over, and you cannot remove any sin after death.  We cannot afford to die in mortal sin.  We cannot stay in mortal sin, because we never know when God will call us.  If we sin, we go to confession.  This is our time; there is no second chance.  Be serious about how you live.

Today is the time of mercy; Purgatory is the time of justice.

We have a gift from the Church in indulgences.  Partial indulgence erases partial temporal punishment for sin, while a plenary indulgence erases all punishment for sin.

We can gain a plenary indulgence for souls in Purgatory between November 1 and November 8:
1) On All Souls' Day by making a devout visit to a chapel and think of the Poor Souls. Pray one Our Father and the Creed; 
2) Visit a cemetery and pray one Our Father and the Creed.

In God, there is no past, no future, only the present.  You are judged the moment you die.  Always pray for the dead.

SATURDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY – FATHER WADE 

November is a special month - Holy Souls in Purgatory who are assured of Heaven.  November 1 is the Solemnity of the Saints.  In the saints, the highest saint is the Blessed Mother.  October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary.  First Saturday is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  This is the month not only of the Holy Souls, but of the Saints.

The encyclical "Marialis Cultus" written in 1974 by Pope Paul VI was for the right ordering and right development of devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The word cult (Latin "Cultus") meant "following of Mary".  Never mix devotion to Mary with the Mass.

Four points about the Rosary:
1. With fifteen mysteries - based on the Gospels.  All except the Assumption and the Coronation are explicit in Scripture, these two are implicit.  The Assumption and the Coronation are based on tradition back to the first century.
2. The Rosary is Christological - Christocentric - Christ centered - points to Church.
3. The Rosary is existential - composed of both body and soul deposit.
a. Body part is because words are vocal, and
b. Soul part - leads to heights of contemplation, which is the spiritual aspect of the Rosary.
4.   Rosary harmonizes with the Liturgy, and, in fact, leads to it.

Sacred Liturgy - the seven Sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours.

Para-Liturgy - things which lead to the Liturgy:

1. Holy Hours,
2. Rosary,
3. Forty Hours Devotion
4. Nine day novenas to Saints.

SATURDAY MORNING INSTRUCTION – FATHER  WADE

Catechetical Conference - dialogue back and forth.
Decorum - to decorate.
Rubrics are not optional.  At the end of Confession when the priest says to the penitent, "Give thanks to the Lord", the penitent should respond, "His mercy endures forever."

Confession is the sacrament of mercy.  It is the only court where guilt is admitted and pardon and mercy are guaranteed.

A human person is a body/soul composite.  We do not have a body and have a soul.  We are bodies, and we are souls.

We have to know what the Church teaches.  Apologetics.  We have to defend our faith charitably.

Why is charity the greatest of the theological virtues?  Because God's grace works anywhere.

Do what the Chair of Peter says.  Swirl neither to the left nor to the right of what the Church teaches.  Stay right in line with the Chair of Peter.

Father mentioned St. Don Bosco's dream of the two pillars with the ship steered by the Holy Father.  The waves were the trials, persecutions and tribulations.  The Church goes through every 500 years which is present time.

Everyone in Purgatory is assured of salvation.  Before the ninth century, a person was declared a saint by acclamation.  The canonization process began in the ninth century.

There are three tiers to the Communion of Saints:
 1) Church Triumphant (those in Heaven)
 2) Church Militant (people still on earth)
 3) Church Suffering (souls in Purgatory)

St. Bernard of Clairvaux said that the Saints have absolutely no need of honor from us.  Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them.

Take advantage of the three tiers.  If the Poor Souls do have an intercessory power for us, it is only because we have first prayed for them.  Our prayers for them are capable of helping them.

St. Therese said do your daily duty with love of God and for salvation of souls.  Make frequent acts of the will.   The communion of Saints does for the soul what a blood transfusion does for the body.

The classification of worship and veneration:
1. Latria - worship properly fitting to God alone - our Triune God.
2. Hyperdulia - above veneration - highest of veneration.  Veneration of the Blessed Mother - the highest of creatures, the new Eve.  The Immaculate Conception.
3. Dulia - veneration of saints and angels.

HEALING SERVICE – FATHER JOSEPH

A Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Romans.  "Who will separate us from the love of Christ?"  Pope John Paul II said, "Evil will not have the final word."

The ultimate victory will be had by God.  Love is that power that is able to overcome all things.  Nothing visible or invisible can take us away from the love of Christ.  He holds out His heart of love to us. The Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus are symbols of love. What man needs most in this world is love.

A speaker on Mother Angelica's live show spoke on the four levels of happiness.  Many in the world are seeking after the two lowest levels, i.e. possessions and pleasures.  This ends up in disappointment, because they cannot satisfy.  Ego, achievement, success in business end in jealousy and envy.

The two higher levels are outgoing: 3rd level - seeking to serve something greater than ourselves, such as service of family or community, helping the poor, giving of ourselves.  The 4th level - happiness than can really satisfy us is that life of love in God.

We can understand our own lovableness if we understand God's love for us in our life of prayer.  Because we are made in His image and because we are children of our Heavenly Father, we have a dignity that nothing can take away. As we spend more time before the Blessed Sacrament, we begin to learn to love others. Agape love of Christ.  Jesus showed us His love, thus we must show Him our love.  Christ offers us His heart and waits for our response to that love.  We are always changed for the better by love.

We do not know what the future holds, but neither did St. Paul.  Everything else may be taken from us, but the Lord will never be taken from us.

During Benediction, the priest holds the monstrance with the veil.  This is to remind us that it is not the priest but Jesus Himself blessing us.  Father asked that when we go up for the individual blessing to:
    1. Bring up our own burdens and crosses.  He said the Lord will free us of some of our burdens, but not all.  Receive the Lord's strength.
2. Bring up someone that you know who needs the Lord's healing.
3. Silently say a prayer for each person.  Our prayers help one another when we intercede for our brothers and sisters.

Jesus, heal her,
Jesus, bless her,
Jesus, heal him,
Jesus, bless him.

FATHER RAY BOURQUE'S BIBLE STUDY

Confession is a rendezvous with Jesus Christ - a meeting with Jesus.  Come to speak to Jesus; state your sins.  He wants to wash us up in His Blood once again.  The priest is there in the person of Christ.  If I sin, I have to go and see Jesus.  The smallest sin you commit is an infinite sin.  The gravity of sin - an offense against God.  Sin causes death - cannot pay for it.  Without confession, our face looks OK, but our souls are ugly.

When we were baptized, we received sanctifying grace.  When we sin, we lose sanctifying grace.

What are beatitudes?  They are for NOW.

The perfection of the good is the best; the corruption of the worst is the worse.

Father went over several pages of information with us on Confession which he had compiled.

SUNDAY MORNING MASS HOMILY - FATHER ANGELUS SHAUGHNESSY

Pray for poor sinners - the poor souls in Purgatory are sure of their salvation.

Zaccheaus, who was preparing himself for confession up a tree and out on a limb, is worthy of great admiration. He acknowledged Jesus as the Savior. Jesus means "savior". He is the only one  in the history of the world who came into the world to die. We come in this world to live. The Savior had to be God, because God was offended. The Savior had to be man, too, because it was man who did the sinning.  This was all reconciled in the person of the savior God and man, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Your biography and mine is recorded in His flesh. The paper for that biography is His skin; His blood is the ink. Those nails in the hands are all of our rotten greed wanting too much of the temperality of this world.  Those nails in His feet were the times of disobedience to do our own thing. His back lay open. "Lord Jesus, forgive my unbending pride." His shoulders under the crushing weight of the cross had lost their shape. His chest strained and disjointed had all but crushed into silence His adorable heart. "Lord Jesus, forgive my wayward heart, my sinful lusts."  His bleeding head, weary with long waiting, mis-shapened by blows, befouled  with spittle and discharge. "Lord Jesus, forgive my every sin of sight, of speech, of hearing and of thought." That is your autobiography and mine.

He became sin because He would identify with us completely, coming into this world to die. Sin is in the blood, and there is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood. Jesus sweat blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, scourged from head to foot, crowned with thorns. His body was one raw mass of wounded flesh. The facial nerves were mangled. Jesus was dragging the cross and thrown down on the cross nailed through the median nerves. He hung on the cross for at least three hours.

If His love will not motivate us to turn to Him, maybe fear will do it. Maybe that would be a blessing, too. Whether it is out of love or out of fear, face the truth about yourself for your own happiness in this world. 

Remember, the degree of our shame is the degree of our pride.  The degree of our sorrow is the degree of our love.

Be sorry for your sins; turn to the Lord and remember those beautiful invitations of Jesus: "As the Father sent me, so I send you. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained."  We need a sensitive conscience of the saints who really know where they stand before God. Keep that sensitivity to God, a sensitivity to sin. 

The greatest evil in the world is not sin; it is the denial of sin. Contrition gets rid of sin, but the denial of sin perpetuates sin. We are not the church of the latter day saints; we are the church of the modern day sinners. Frequent confession is to be challenged ever so gently. Penances are always so meager - seemingly not in accord with the guilt we have just dumped in the confessional. The most penitential thing about the Sacrament of Penance is that you admit that you have been wrong and done wrong. Frequent confession is a wonderful place to get clarification of certain things. 

A priest is not only a judge, but a teacher and a doctor. Frequent confession is a beautiful place to be reminded, too, and to get graces we would never get anywhere else except in the beautiful tribunal of God's justice and mercy. Our God was the greatest psychologist, the supreme psychiatrist who really knows the needs of the human heart. That is why He gave us this wonderful Sacrament. Praise and thank God for it and use it the way God intended. It is most edifying to the people, too, when priests go to Confession even in front of their congregations - just to be seen going to Confession by their congregations. It is good when parents go to Confession. This gives that example to your children.

Our prayer today is: "Come, Holy Spirit, help us to know our sins. Come Holy Spirit, help us to be sorry for our sins with that firm purpose of amendment, that contrition that looks to the future. Come, Holy Spirit, give me the grace to make a good confession." Jesus is the one who receives us now with His loving mercy in His Sacred Heart. 

What a beautiful faith we have; how blessed we are!