Welcome to the latest edition of the weekly Say Yes to Holiness newsletter—designed to help inspire, encourage and accompany you on the path towards holiness.
Happy All Souls Day. Today is the final day of the great three days of our celebrating the Communion of Saints. All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls focus upon the Church Militant, Church Triumphant and Church Suffering respectively, and with these three days, we enter into the month of November. And with this month, the Church invites us to turn our attention towards eternity.
Yesterday on the Solemnity of All Saints, we rejoiced with the countless men and women who have finished their earthly journey and are now enjoying the fullness of eternal life with God in heaven. And today, we commemorate All Souls, remembering and praying for all those who have died and are being purified in purgatory to prepare for entering into the fullness of God’s presence.
Both these celebrations remind us of two things we often forget—that death is not the end, and we are not alone. The Church teaches us to reflect upon the Four Last Things—death, judgment, heaven and hell, especially during these last few weeks of the liturgical year. This is not to frighten us, but rather to help us recognize the significance of how we choose to live our lives today while being a part of the universal Church—one, holy, catholic and apostolic as the Communion of Saints.
So, this week’s Food for the Head, Heart, Hands and Feet will seek to inspire, encourage and accompany us while we reflect upon the four last things while we remember to pray for those who have gone before us to help us prepare ourselves for the eternal life God invites ultimately invites us as we continue our journey towards holiness…
Food for the Head
"Limitless and without consolation would have been our sorrow for close ones who are dying, if the Lord had not given us eternal life. Our life would be pointless if it ended with death. What benefit would there then be from virtue and good deed? Then they would be correct who say: ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’ But man was created for immortality, and by His resurrection Christ opened the gates of the Heavenly Kingdom, of eternal blessedness for those who have believed in Him and have lived righteously. Our earthly life is a preparation for the future life, and this preparation ends with our death. ‘It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment’ (Heb 9:27). Then a man leaves all his earthly cares; the body disintegrates, in order to rise anew at the General Resurrection. Often this spiritual vision begins in the dying even before death, and while still seeing those around them and even speaking with them, they see what others do not see.” — Saint John the Wonderworker
Saint John the Wondermaker reminds us that we are going to die—a reality we don’t want to think about. But every single one of us is going to die. We do not know when, where or how, but we there is no doubt that our life here on earth will come to an end.
So, what to do? Prepare.
Saint John tells us that everything in our earthly life is a preparation. Everything we experience during our lives—all the joys, sorrows, accomplishments, disappointments, relationships and sufferings—all serve to prepare for eternal life.
But this is true only if we choose to cooperate with God’s grace.
Christ’s Resurrection has changed everything, ensuring that our suffering is not meaningless, our sacrifices are not pointless, and our hope for reunion with our loved ones is more than wishful thinking because we have the promise of eternal life.
But this does not mean that there will not be a judgment. The Church’s teaching is that at our death we face our particular judgment before God in which the truth of our lives will be revealed, especially in showing how we responded (or did not) to God’s grace and invitation to love Him and those around us. It is at that moment that our eternal destiny is determined—heaven, hell or, if we are in need of more purification, then purgatory before entering heaven. While the Final Judgment is when the fullness of God’s justice and mercy will be revealed at the end of time when Christ will come again in glory and the dead will rise.
We meditate upon these four last things of death, judgment, heaven, and hell so that we can live in the freedom that comes from recognizing that every choice we make in this life has eternal significance. This means that how we love matters. And how we forgive matters. And how we respond to God’s grace matters. Because our lives are not about just getting through another day, or accomplishing another task, or achieving another goal, but are ALL about becoming the saints God created us to be.
So, the question for us is whether we are living with eternity in mind? Or have we become distracted by the things of this world and forgotten where we are ultimately going?
This week, resolve to meditate upon the Four Last Things of Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell and examine whether your daily choices are preparing you for eternity with God.
Food for the Heart
"It is not Death that will come to fetch me, it is the good God. Death is no phantom, no horrible specter, as presented in pictures. In the catechism it is stated that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all! Well, I am not afraid of a separation which will unite me to the good God forever.” — Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
Saint Therese gives us a beautiful vision of death. This is because she did not see death as something to be feared, but as the moment when she would finally encounter the One whom she had loved her entire earthly life—God.
God who created her (and us) out of love, for love and in love. The same One who accompanies each of us through every joy, sorrow, disappointment and suffering. The very One who invites us into an intimate relationship with Him with a promise that our relationship with Him can last for all eternity.
But notice something important about Saint Thérèse’s words—she does not deny the reality of death. Instead, she simply refuses to allow death to become more powerful in her imagination than God. How often do we do exactly the opposite because of fear?
Because we fear the unknown, or we fear suffering, or we fear losing those we love, or we fear leaving behind the life we have worked so hard to build. Sometimes, we become so focused upon what death takes away, we forget that Christ promises to give us eternal life with Him.
Now, Saint Thérèse understood that heaven is not merely a place where there is no suffering, pain or sorrow, but rather, heaven is where we will experience the fullness of love with God Himself.
Now, isn’t this exactly what our hearts desire? To be loved, known, seen and united completely with God who is Love Himself? Yet, how often do we attempt to satisfy that longing with the things of this world instead? We pursue possessions, accomplishments, relationships and experiences, all hoping they will provide the lasting happiness we desire. But none of these things satisfy us, do they?
That’s because it’s only God who can.
Now, Saint Thérèse’s confidence came from knowing and loving God throughout her life. We can grow in our confidence by beginning to do the same things today. For the more that we come to know and love God, the more we will learn to anticipate our eventual encounter with Him with trust rather than fear.
This week, resolve to spend time in prayer asking God to deepen your desire for heaven and to help you surrender anything that prevents you from loving Him more completely.
Food for the Hands
“The more one longs for a thing, the more painful does deprivation of it become. And because after this life, the desire for God, the Supreme Good, is intense in the souls of the just (because this impetus toward him is not hampered by the weight of the body, and that time of enjoyment of the Perfect Good would have come) had there been no obstacle; the soul suffers enormously from the delay.” — Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas gives us insight into the suffering experienced by the souls in purgatory by telling us they long intensely for God.
Why is that?
Because the souls in purgatory now recognize God as the Supreme Good for whom they were created and who is the One who alone can satisfy every desire of the human heart. But they are not quite ready to enter into His presence because there remains something within them that still has to be purified. It’s whatever prevents them from experiencing the fullness of the love for which they were created.
This is the suffering Saint Thomas describes. It’s not merely the pain of punishment, but the suffering of longing for the One whom they love above all else. Because purgatory is not simply a second chance at salvation, or a place where God punishes those whom He has rejected. Instead, purgatory is the final purification of those who die in God’s grace and friendship but still need to be made perfectly holy before entering heaven.
Pause and reflect upon that. God loves us SO much that He provides the means for us to be completely purified so that we may enter into perfect communion with Him, abd this is where the beauty of the Communion of Saints becomes evident.
Because we can help!
All of our prayers, sacrifices and acts of charity can be offered for the souls in purgatory. And we can also ensure that Masses are offered for the deceased, too. These are spiritual works of mercy—to pray for the living and the dead.
This has been a great comfort for me during these last two years since my husband, Paul’s, passing. To be able to pray for him every day and to have masses offered for his soul, and to know that I am making a difference in the great spiritual economy of salvation.
But unfortunately, how often do we forget to pray for those who have died?
While we might pray for them at their funeral, or on the anniversary of their death, we tend to forget about them when life moves on and we become distracted by our daily responsibilities. Yet, our responsibility to love does not end when someone dies because love transcends death, and it is through the Communion of Saints that we remain united to those who have gone before us.
So, let us not forget any of our loved ones, or for those souls who have no one to pray for them.
This week, resolve to pray daily for the souls in purgatory, particularly deceased family members, friends, and those who have no one to remember them in prayer.
Food for the Feet
"As the Lord thought good so it came to pass. Let us adopt those marvelous words. At the hands of the righteous Judge, they who show like good deeds shall receive a like reward….He whom we love is not hidden in the ground; he is received into heaven. Let us wait a little while, and we shall be once more with him. The time of our separation is not long, for in this life we are all like travelers on a journey, hastening on to the same shelter. While one has reached his rest another arrives, another hurries on but one and the same end awaits them all.” — Saint Basil the Great
What a beautiful image Saint Basil gives us that about the reality that we are all travelers on a journey.
Now, some have already reached their destination, while others are just arriving, and still others are on the way. This is a beautiful image of the universal Church. The Church Militant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant. Three states of the one Church, united in Christ, and through this union, we can assist one another.
The saints are interceding for us, we pray for the souls in purgatory, and we encourage and accompany one another here on earth as we strive to become saints.
Saint Basil’s words also offer tremendous consolation to anyone who is grieving by pointing out that although the separation we experience when someone dies can be incredibly painful as we miss their presence, their voices, their laughter, and the countless little things that made them such an important part of our lives.
But Saint Basil reminds us that our earthly separation is only temporary when we are united in Christ because we are all traveling towards the same eternal home.
Just imagine what a homecoming it will be!
Imagine being reunited with those whom we have loved. Or think about meeting the saints whose lives and writings have inspired and encouraged us. But most especially, imagine when we finally encounter Jesus Christ face to face.
It is this hope that sustains us on our earthly pilgrimage, yet we must not simply wait for that day to arrive. Rather, we are called to live as members of the Communion of Saints right now. ANd one of the most beautiful ways we can experience this communion is through the celebration of the Mass, where the Church on earth joins the worship of heaven and offers the sacrifice of Christ for the living and the dead.
Keeping all this in mind, let us become more intentional about how we live as members of this extraordinary family.
This week, resolve to participate in Mass for the intention of the faithful departed, visit a cemetery to pray for the deceased, or offer a Rosary for the souls in purgatory.
One of my favorite ways to pray for the dead is through the Rosary. To help you pray, check out the Daily Rosary podcast by the School of Faith.
Exhortation
“When once you have departed this life, there is no longer any place for repentance, no way of making satisfaction. Here life is either lost or kept. Here, by the worship of God and by the fruit of faith, provision is made for eternal salvation. Let no one be kept back either by his sins or by his years from coming to obtain salvation. To him who still remains in this world there is no repentance that is too late.” — Saint Cyprian of Carthage
Saint Cyprian reminds us that as long as we are alive, we have the opportunity to repent, turn away from sin, seek God’s mercy, and grow in holiness so we can become the unique and unrepeatable saints God created each of us to be.
But this opportunity will not last forever.
Our earthly lives will end, and we will stand before the Lord to give an account of how we have lived. And Saint Cyprian makes it clear that our earthly lives are the time in which we must choose to repent, and do God’s work. We can’t wait, or presume we have tomorrow to postpone our response to God’s invitation to holiness.
And this is where Saint Cyprian offers us extraordinary hope by reminding us that no matter how many years we have lived, or mistakes we have made, or how far we may have wandered away from God, it is never too late to turn back towards Him.
This is such a tremendous gift, but also an incredible responsibility.
So, we should be filled with determination to live each day as a preparation for eternity as we strive to turn away from anything that separates us from God by receiving His mercy through the sacraments, particularly Reconciliation and the Most Holy Eucharist.
We should remember that we are not alone on this journey as the saints are interceding for us as we have the opportunity to assist the souls in purgatory. And we all have one another, united in the Body of Christ, to encourage one another on our way towards our eternal home.
The universal Church is far greater than what we can see with our eyes, but extends beyond the boundaries of this world and reaches into eternity itself.
This should fill us with great hope because death will not have the final word.
Jesus will.
But we have to say YES.
SAY YES to repentance, God’s mercy, loving God, loving one another and to holiness.
May we SAY YES to these things, especially during this month of November, so we can prepare well for the four last things as we pray fervently for the souls in purgatory, seek the intercession of the saints, and strive to live each day in anticipation of the eternal life that awaits all of us who love God, and continue to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to prepare ourselves for eternity, so that together we can tell the Master of Death, “NOT TODAY!”
All the best,
Christina
PS—Make sure to check out my latest book, Solving the Parish Puzzle: One Person, One Disciple, One Leader at a Time. It is available for purchase on Amazon.
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Latest episode of the Say Yes to Holiness podcast...
Episode #268
“Angel of God: Growing in Friendship with Your Guardian Angel”— 1:1 Conversation with Patrick O’Hearn
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Update from The Catholic Leadership Puzzle
Here is the latest podcast on The Catholic Leadership Puzzle for your listening pleasure:
A Clear Path to Everyday Evangelization—1:1 Conversation with Jim Jansen
How can a busy parish move from a calendar full of activities to a shared mission of making disciples?
That is the question that Christina Semmens and Jim Jansen, author of A Clear Path, focus upon in the midst of an extremely practical 1:1 CLP conversation about relationships, clarity, and teamwork that all are necessary to make parish renewal possible.
Have Christina guide you through her latest book!
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