November: the Story of Us

What a month we're entering. It starts with the celebration of the little guy, all the unknown saints, and ends with the celebration of Jesus, our King.

We all can be saints. We don't have to worry that only great people like martyrs please God enough to be saved. All of us can become holy and please God. We have a road map in the Bible which explains how to be a saint.

We Catholics also celebrate All Souls' Day. I find it comforting that we call the people in purgatory the “holy souls.” They are assured of a place in heaven, and that is another great cause to celebrate. We on earth can help them (by our prayers) get their sooner. It's a great task that God gives us--to be able to help the deceased.

All of November we remember our own loved ones who have died. It's fitting to remember those we love and to say extra prayers to help them if they still are in purgatory. We can offer our prayers for their intentions if they are in heaven, too. Who knows? Maybe their intentions are for us!

In America we celebrate the feast of Thanksgiving Day during November-- a holiday dedicated to the virtue of gratitude. It's fitting that in many Catholic churches we have a special Thanksgiving Mass because we are called to give thanks to our Creator.

The end of November concludes with the feast of Christ The King. It is a day which brings fear to evil, and joy to the faithful because we know Christ has won for us a victory over death, which is why we begin the month with the celebration of the ordinary saints and end with the reminder that Christ is King and will come again.

So as we enter into this month, we see the story of us, sinners turned by grace into saints called to offer thanks to our God, and to wait for the final coming of Jesus. What a month!

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PRAYER FOR ALL THE DECEASED

By Thy resurrection from the dead, O Christ, death no longer hath dominion over those who die in holiness. So, we beseech Thee, give rest to Thy servants in Thy sanctuary and in Abraham's bosom. Grant it to those, who from Adam until now have adored Thee with purity, to our fathers and brothers, to our kinsmen and friends, to all men who have lived by faith and passed on their road to Thee, by a thousand ways, and in all conditions, and make them worthy of the heavenly kingdom.

--Byzantine Liturgy