Our faith is based on many amazing mysteries. One of them is the truth about life after death, which each of us will experience; About the eternal communion, to which we are all invited
God is love and – being a community of three Divine Persons – He wants to include us in the life of the Trinity here on earth, and then forever in eternal life. This is a fascinating and unspoken reality! We mature toward it, staying in communion with Jesus – consuming Him in the holy forms of the Body and the Blood, which, by the Holy Spirit, introduces us into communion with God the Father. We always grow, thanks to unity with His Word, when we live within the Gospel, and when we shape all our relationships with others so that they are an image, an icon of references to love in which the persons of the Holy Trinity people abide. God, who is communion, makes everything in communion. We are not always aware of it, but it’s so. The mystery of the Church is the mystery of communion . . .
In every Eucharist, Christ, through the sacrifice of Himself, unites us so closely that we become members of his mystical body. He makes us – when we consume Him – also enter communion with Him and among ourselves, with everyone who receives Him at a given Holy Mass, but also around the world. This communion is multidimensional, overcomes all dimensions of distance and time. In Christ three great realities unite – a militant, a triumphant and suffering Church. This communion ensures the continuous flow of spiritual goods between all members of the Church.
The Church Militant is us living on earth. Struggling with temptations, maturing and waiting for a personal meeting with Christ, which is the only certainty. In the communion of the Church Militant the holiness of one person causes an increase in the sanctity of the other. At the same time, the fall of another is not only a private matter for them, but it weakens the spiritual condition of everyone. Every sin hurts the whole body of the Church. Every conversion multiplies its strength.
The Church Triumphant includes saints and blessed in the reality of heaven – the constant presence of God – who support members of the Church Militant and ask for the showering of favours upon it. The mystery of this union is expressed by a note from the Story of a Soul of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: “I stood before angels and saints and I said to them: ‘I am the smallest creature, I know my misery and my weakness, but I also know how noble and generous hearts like to do good, so I am begging you, blessed inhabitants of heaven that you would adopt me as a child. You will have the glory, which I will acquire for your causes, but please listen to my prayer, (. . .) I dare to ask you to obtain for me your twofold love.’ ”
The flow of favours and spiritual goods is also included in the Church Suffering. It is made up of those who die in grace and friendship with God and – although they are already sure of their eternal salvation – they will be able to experience the joy of union with God only when they undergo purification, ” so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030 ). These are the souls of the dead in Purgatory, who plead to us for all graces, but they can’t help themselves. At the time of death, their time of being of service, accepting suffering, reparation and penance ended. Now they only count on us.
Our help is a manifestation of the highest love. The Holy Mass is an enormous gift for the souls of the dead. Offered for their intention as well as the rosary prayer or reciting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Especially valuable will be our gift of igniting the love of our hearts. Let’s reject anger, vulnerability, anger, insulting, shameful speech from our mouths and let’s put on heartfelt mercy, goodness, humility, quietness, patience, forbearing each other and mutual forgiveness: as the Lord forgave us, and yes you! For this let everything be taken on in love, which is a bond of perfection (cf. Col. 3,8.12-13). These are the most beautiful flowers that we can give to our loved ones.
“I have no other way,” wrote Saint Thérèse of Lisieux – “to prove to You my love, but to throw flowers, that is, not to let any small sacrifice, no look, no word, to use every small thing and do them out of love . . . Jesus, for what will be my flowers and my songs be useful to You? Ah, I know well that this fragrant rain, these delicate flakes without any value, these love songs of the smallest of hearts will delight You. Yes, these will please You, and make the Church Triumphant smile. They will collect up, the petals collected with love, of my flowers, and passing them through Your divine hands, (. . .) they will then throw down those flowers that have gained infinite values through the divine touch; they will throw them upon the Church Suffering to douse its flames, they will throw them into the Church Militant to grant it victory!” . . .
At this special time of experiencing communion with the Church Suffering, we offer Holy Masses, indulgences and our prayers for all deceased Parishioners, for our priests, ministers and faithful. We also ask you wherever you are, to unite with us in this prayer.
12/11/2022
