Dear Brothers and Sisters,

November is a time when we are invited to reflect on the Call to Holiness and the Glory of Heaven. The month begins with the Solemnity of All Saints, followed immediately by the Commemoration of All Souls; later in the month, we celebrate Christ the King.

On All Saints’ Day, we heard in the Gospel reading the “Beatitudes” from Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Jesus repeatedly used the word “Blessed,” which can also be translated as “Happy” or “Fortunate.” However, the word means more than a superficial, worldly joy – it implies the joy of the life of God’s Kingdom. We share in the blessedness of Heaven because God seeks to glorify us in Jesus Christ.

Human beings are made in God’s image, but through sin we have caused that image to be marred. In the saving work of Jesus, we are restored to that image; in baptism every stain of sin is washed away, and we are fully that which God intends us to be. We are Holy. Even as we sin through life, God offers to us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, whereby we are restored to holiness. I often advise penitents to savour the moments when they leave the confessional as a time when they are restored to the state of baptismal grace; of course, they will soon sin again, but those precious moments after receiving absolution are a passing glimpse of the blessedness we hope to enjoy in Heaven.

As we contemplate the call to holiness, we are always mindful that holiness is God’s work in us; we cannot be Holy without God, and we must allow the Holy Spirit to work within us.

All Saints leads to All Souls – indeed, we must see death and the beatific vision as inseparable from the life of both sin and holiness which we have lived on earth. Despite the greatness of God’s love and mercy (and often our sincere attempts to be good), we will not, at the time of our deaths, be perfect. We will still not be ready for the eternal Blessedness of Heaven. But there is still a glorious hope: if we do not reject God, but place our trust in him, his love and mercy will prevail. There is a period when he will complete his healing, cleansing work in us until we are truly and fully Holy and can be admitted to the Blessedness of Heaven. There we will see Christ our King face to face in light. We will be forever what we were created to be from our conception in our mother’s womb.

Rejoice in the Saints who are in Heavenly Glory; take comfort in their prayers in this life of temptation; pray for those gone before us that they come to the glory of Heaven; repent of sin and seek holiness of life and the beatific vision on the last day.

Yours in Christ,

+ David

Image: Ludovico Carracci, Purgatory. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.