Dear Friends in Christ
During this month of November the Church invites us to pray more insistently and offer sacrifices for the souls in Purgatory. Saint Pope John Paul II encourages us: we feel bound by charity to offer those brothers and sisters who have experienced the fragility proper to human existence the help of our vigilant prayer. May whatever residue of human weakness still remaining in them to delay their happy encounter with God be definitively wiped out. (2.xi.’82) To enter into eternal life it is necessary that we be purified of all sin. In Purgatory the soul experiences very intense suffering due to a kind of flame more painful than anything a person can suffer in this life (St Augustine). There is also joy and hope too though, since Heaven comes afterwards. The soul in Purgatory has already won the last battle and is awaiting a more or less imminent encounter with God. We can help the souls in Purgatory pass over more quickly the great divide that separates them from God by making reparation for sin. So, by being generous in our spirit of penance, having Masses offered for them and by continued prayer, we express the charity which is at the heart of our Faith. Let us use this month of November to remind ourselves of these truths again and do all we can to merit eternal life.
Last weekend someone found a prayer card produced at the time of a Parish Mission in in our Parish in October 1948; it contains the daily acts of the Christian life and some prayers. On the reverse is printed: REMEMBER You have one soul to save, one God to love and serve, one eternity to expect. Death will come soon and judgement will follow and then - Heaven or Hell for ever. Therefore, avoid sin and all dangerous occasions of sin. Pray often and go frequently to Confession and Holy Communion. Be faithful to your Mission promises. This kind of language may make us wince somewhat these days, but it is all still true and a salutary reminder of what we are about. God bless you
Msgr Kevin Hale
Priest@LourdesLeigh.org ✚ 01702 478078
Homily available at LourdesLeigh.org