The Month of November

Each year, the Church reminds us of our Hope with the Festival of All Saints. The next day, we are asked to recall our deceased family members and friends with the commemoration of All Souls. Drawing from tradition, the teaching of the Church, and our love for family and friends, we pray for them in a special way for the month. Life, as we know from our common experience, is short. The mystery of death, while not the most common subject at gatherings, enters into the circle of our family and friends. The blessing of our Faith is what enables us to deal with the sting of death and pain. Because we are rooted in the Lord Jesus, we turn to Him with confident hope and renew within ourselves the proper dispositions necessary to respond faithfully to the gift of life. It is a good month to recall our loved ones, to share the story of their lives, the anecdotes that bring a smile, to prayerfully say, “I love you.” May those who have preceded us attain the mercy of God and in time be counted in the Communion of Saints. †