The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Ineonsidsrsfs

We draw up the Worlds No / Portable to dash
off few dozen we'll worn words on the subject of
November Much may be said of this notable month
pro and con and descriptivey. II takes its name as
you remember, from the Latin noUent which means
nine, for the Romans who did things differently,
used to begin the year with March, and thus No
Vember is the ninth month in line The Romans ran
out of Imagination after doing honor to julius Caesar
and Augustus, and called the next four months by
number: Septen, octo noyem, decem, "Seven,
eight, nine, ten"
November is the month of triumph The Church
begins this month with the glorious Feast of All
SAINTS Every day OF the year is feast day of many
eanonized saints Our prayerbooks and religious cal
endars usually list one of these, but the martyr
ology or official list names many for each day. and
ends its citation with the statement that great
many others are left unnamed. On All Saints Day we
commemorate, in one great festival all the saints
named or nameiess IN the official canon or listing.
And not these alone We celebrate the triumph of
every soul that has attained TO heaven. For saint
is one who has won the battle of existence, and has
reached the goal for which man is created a saint
is one who has reached heaven, who has entered
into the glory of the Beatfic Vision, who will forever
enjoy lneXpressIble peace and happiness If not all
the canonzed saints are known to u.s. or listed in
official records, what great host of saints un-
recorded must swell the chorus OF heavenly praise!
We think of all these All Saints Day; it is their
special Feast
Some even many of our own people are among
these saints. We take great courage from that fact.
Sometimes the history of a canonzed saint Strs us
TO admiration without arousing us to vigorous mi-
taon; the holy person seems to be so far beyond
us in character and achievement that we dare not
hope to follow him closely. But when we realize
that people we knew and did not consider very
sneciaI arp ndt he tab
heart. What they did, we, by Gods grace, can do
as we'll
Any grown person can say with truth he has known
saints. He did not recognize them ALL perhaps he
did not recognize any of them. But of the folk re-
lated to him, OF those who went TO school with him.
worked beside him in factory or office, stroye at
his side in battle line, joked and conversed with
him, some are surely in heaven, that is, some of
these people saints We think of that-and the
thought is heartening-on all Saints Day. and all
through the month of triumph which we call No
vember
All Souls Day falls on November 2 The fact that
II recalls the sufferingS of the souls in purgatory
does not take away the triumpha character of this
time. For purgatory, however painful, is the ante.
chamber to heaven. The souls in purgatory suffer,
but their suffering looks on to certain glory; their
heaven is assured. They wait for their penalties to
pass or for us TO supply, by prayers and sufrages
for their penalties; then they will enter heaven as
sants-dH of them, without exception.
If we think of purgatory as a harsh prison where
souls are detained, We arc apt to get wrong inn
preston 1t is true that the souls are detained in
purgatory, but they are detained by their own wills
we'll as by the objective requirement of purifica-
ton. Not one of these souls would think of enter.
ing heaven on any other condition than complete
publication from every stain and fault 1t is not
that they are merely blocked out; il is rather
that they cannot and will not enter heaven till they
are rightly ready.
II is our privilege and duty TO help them get
ready They no longer help themselves; the
sole time for self.help always with Gods grace)
is the period of life on earth The souls in purga-
tory must wait until their sufferings have purged
them or until their brothers and sisters on earth
have won their purging by prayers, sacrifices, and
other good works, offered on behalf of the suf-
ferng souls II is one Of the most consoling of
truths, and one involving great obligation for US,
that we can reach beyond the portals of death and
do immense good to those who have gone before
MS to their judgment This is one function OF the
Communion of Saints
PITY moves us TO help the souls in purgatory. II
is to this virtue especially that the Church appeals
when she utters her solemn dirges, and clothes
her altars and ministers in colors Of mourning;
she would have us pity the dead and pray for them
But as we pity, we also admire and rejoice For
as we have said the souls whose deep sufferings
we pity, and in whose behalf we offer prayers and
good works, arc souls certain of heaven, however
long it be delayed All Souls Day is thus day of
triumph too, as we'll as day of mourning and
sorrow And since November is the month of Holy
Souls il is a month of triumph.
November is both solemn and Joyous, sad and
triumphant And IT becomes month of glad hope
when we realize that il uShers in. at its close the
season of Advent and Christmas The God of saints
and suffering souls becomes Man TO make heaven
and purgatory-possible for us Across these days
Of mourning and of triumph lies the gentle and
glorious light Of blessed expectations we sense in
our souls the coming of the best beloved of all
Feasts anticipate the bliss OF holy ChriStmastide