Dear Parishioners of St. James:
Praised be Jesus Christ!
November is the month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Those souls, who, at the moment of their death were in the state of grace (friendship with God), but not yet ready to enter into Heaven, remain in Purgatory until their temporal punishment is completed. The time for merit is ended at death. God immortalizes what He finds in us when our pilgrimage on earth comes to an end. The souls in Purgatory are assured of their salvation but rely entirely on the help of others for their deliverance into the eternal bliss of Heaven.
A funeral Mass is the most powerful and loving gift one can give to their departed loved one. The body, made a temple of the Holy Spirit by Baptism, is reverenced and blessed in imitation of our dear Savior’s burial. The body is then buried in blessed ground as the deceased waits for the day of Resurrection when our bodies, together with our souls, will be publicly judged as worthy of eternal damnation or eternal salvation. Until then, we constantly pray for our beloved dead with hope in God’s infinite mercy.
Since we do not know for certain the judgment of God, we pray for the dead assuming that they are in Purgatory. Imagine if your loved one is languishing in Purgatory needing your prayers while you thought they were already in Heaven?! Our Lord graciously permits our prayers and sacrifices to benefit the souls in Purgatory. Do not forget to offer Mass and other sacrifices that they may be released soon and intercede for you in turn when they enter Heaven.
God bless you,
Fr. Geary
Saint James Catholic Church 