November is traditionally the month in the Church`s calendar when we pray for our dead. In this world, we engage in the struggle for salvation. God saves us through the death and resurrection of his Son; we can`t save ourselves, but we can co-operate with God`s grace.
In our lives most of us fail in this co-operation many times, but we try to re-engage in the struggle and look for final perseverance. Most of us will not go straight to heaven when we die; we will go to a place called Purgatory. It`s a bit like a drying out clinic; it will help us to adjust to life with God in Heaven. We probably think of our dead as being in Purgatory and we pray that they will soon be released. How this works I really don`t know, but maybe the process is about us being still with our, perhaps, parents, on their journey to God. We know that they will reach God, their salvation is assured, but it`s something we want to be part of. During November, I will be praying for the dead of the Parish at my Masses. If you want me to say a Mass for your intentions in this respect you can contact me by post, email or phone.
Over the next four weeks the church will be closed. Lots of churches will open for private prayer but we won`t. The reason is we are too small. The past months have shown that most Catholics are not yet ready to come back to church. I think this will probably go on being the case until Easter. Let`s keep each other in our prayers during this difficult time, and let`s pray for the world that God`s healing love will engulf it.