Bishop Anthony writes:

SAINTS DAY remembers those already with God in Heaven & ALL SOULS is the poignant remembrance of all the Faithful (our own loved ones among them) who are still in Purgatory. While still on our own earthly pilgrimage, we are not separated from those in Heaven and Purgatory: we beg the prayers of those already in heavenly glory and we pray for all the souls in Purgatory – indeed we pray for them at every Mass. Now, my dear brethren, the doctrine of Purgatory is one we must, as Catholics, take with the utmost seriousness since we shall all find ourselves in Purgatory sooner or later!

Purgatory tells us, above all, about the seriousness of sin and our need to be purified of it. The process of repentance and purification begins in this earthly world (when were you last at Confession?) and we should all strive daily to increase in holiness – that means, simply, to live more and more as GOD would have us live! Yet we are human and so we struggle with sin throughout our lives – hence the teaching of Holy Church that we must all be purified after death, before we are fit to see God face to face & at last enter into heavenly glory. Those in Purgatory are already assured of heavenly Salvation, for JESUS, by His terrible Passion and glorious Resurrection, has brought about the Salvation of all who believe in Him! By our prayers (and most particularly by our devout assistance at Holy Mass) the holy souls in Purgatory are fortified and, indeed, their sojourn there may be shortened.

The Commemoration of All Souls is a joyful day! Christ has won the victory over sin and death and opened the way to Heaven (Eternity with God) for all of us who accept Him into our lives. We can, by devout reception of Our Lord in Holy Communion, and by our deep love for Him, experience the fruits of our Saviour’s victory over death in this present life, but we shall not know its fullness until after death! As we think of our departed loved ones this November, let us rejoice that, in JESUS and through JESUS, death itself need hold no fears for us and we can look forward to eternal happiness with Him and with our dear Mother MARY – and with all those, indeed, whom we have loved here below and “lost awhile”

“…this corruptible nature of ours must be clothed with incorruptible life, this mortal nature with immortality. Then, when this mortal nature wears its immortality, the saying of scripture will come true. Death is swallowed up in victory. Where then, death, is thy victory; where, death, is thy sting? … Stand firm then, my beloved brethren, immovable in your resolve, doing your full share continually in the task the Lord has given you since you know that your labour in the Lord’s service cannot be spent in vain.” (1 Corinthians. Chapter 15)