November 2, 2018
Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Soul’s Day)
Dear Family of Mary!
November 6, 1986 “Dear children! Today I wish to call you to pray daily for souls in purgatory. For every soul prayer and grace is necessary to reach God and the love of God. By doing this, dear children, you obtain new intercessors who will help you in life to realize that all the earthly things are not important for you, that only Heaven is that for which it is necessary to strive. Therefore, dear children, pray without ceasing that you may be able to help yourselves and the others to whom your prayers will bring joy. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
This is a special day, a day on which we pray for our departed loved ones, and all holy souls who may need our prayers. We, the Church Militant, are uniquely positioned to make reparation for these Holy Souls waiting to be united with God in Heaven. They can no longer pray for themselves, but our acts of charity in prayer can aid them. The whole month of November is given over to prayer for our beloved dead. Today we begin this beautiful task.
Susan Tassone was given a call during a pilgrimage in Medjugorje to write about the Souls in Purgatory in order to spread the word of their need for our prayers. She has answered that call brilliantly! She has written at least 7 books of devotions for the Holy Souls! You can find all her books here:
https://www.osv.com/search.aspx?q=Susan%20Tassone
Susan’s faithfulness to her call from Our Lady has born very good fruit. As well as gaining intercessors for the souls, she has educated thousands of Catholics about life after death, a topic you don’t hear much about any more. Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are real. And our lives can be changed for the good when we keep them on our horizon. We have eternal souls. Where we spend eternity is up to us!
Here are two prayers that Susan has included in her very good book, “Prayers, Promises, and Devotion for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.” We can and should pray for the Holy Souls every day!
Blest are the Pure in Heart
By St. John Paul II, at Verano Cemetery, Rome, November 1, 1981
For all our brothers and sisters who rest in the Verano Cemetery and in all the graveyards of Rome and of the world, may the words of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount become the Good News of eternal salvation.
May the kingdom of heaven be theirs.
May they possess it as a “Promised Land.”
May they have eternal joy.
May they be satisfied in their hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
May they be called children of God forever.
May they see God face to face.
May their joy and happiness be full and unlimited.
Let us pray: O God, the glory of believers and the life of the just who saved us by the death and resurrection of your Son, be merciful to our deceased brothers and sisters. When they were in our midst they professed faith in the resurrection; give them endless bliss. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for the Feast of the Faithful Departed
St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny
O holy souls, I promise never to forget you, and to pray to the Most His for your release. I beseech you to respond to this offering which I make to you. Obtain for us peace of heart, assist us in all our actions, console and defend us in our dangers that we may one day all rejoice together in Paradise.
O God the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of your departed servants the remission of their sins, that they may obtain the joys of Heaven. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
And this prayer is always appropriate:
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018
PS. I will send out the November 2 message as soon as possible!
