Since we will observe the solemnity of All Saints’ and All Souls’ days on 1 and 2 November, respectively, allow me to share with you my reflections on the Communion of Saints teaching.
The Communion of Saints is an article of faith by every Catholic, however, it is a teaching not well understood among the faithful which is why on certain occasions like during funeral blessings, I tell about it to the audience. If there is one phrase in the Apostle’s Creed or in the Nicene Creed that every Catholic should give attention to, it is “I believe in the Communion of Saints.”
There are no annual liturgical celebrations regarding this teaching until the month of November, when we are called as a Church to pray for the dead and participate in the solemnity of All Saints on 1 November and the commemoration of the faithful departed (All Souls) on 2 November. In those ceremonies and throughout November, we hear about the Communion of Saints in association with praying for the dead and about heaven, hell and purgatory.
We are all members of the Communion of Saints. The Communion of Saints is the spiritual solidarity that binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head, and a constant interchange of supernatural offices.
First, we have those Saints in Heaven whom we refer to as Church Triumphant to intercede on our behalf. Their virtues are pointed out to us, and we look to them as role models for how we should live, striving to attain heavenly glory.
On 1 November, the solemnity of All Saints, we acknowledge the virtues of those in heaven and their ever-present intercession for us. They are spending eternity with God and are in a place we all strive to be. Saints in heaven do not need our help, but they can bring our prayers and petitions before God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reads: “Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness… They do not cease to intercede with the Father for us, as they proffer the merits which they acquired on earth through the one mediator between God and men, Christ Jesus.” (No. 956).
The next group is the Church Militant where we belong because we are still pilgrims on earth. As people of God, we are meant to pursue the teachings and characteristics of Christ that Saint Paul advocated 20 centuries ago. We can share ourselves and what we have with others in a Christ-like way. The need to be charitable and look out for each other is pronounced throughout the New Testament.
Then we have the Souls in Purgatory or better known as the Church Suffering. Why, because our faith teaches us that the souls in purgatory love God but still need to satisfy the debt (temporal debt) they owe him before they can enter heaven. These souls cannot achieve merits for themselves; their only satisfaction comes from knowing that hell is not their destination, that they are no longer prey to temptation or the devil, and that they will spend eternity with God.
The length of this purification is known only to God. The suffering souls are aware when we, the living, focus on them, such as celebrating All Souls’ Day, attaining an indulgence for them, doing an act of charity in their name, remembering them during visits to a cemetery, Holy Mass, and in our prayers. Moreover, God also knows. Because of the Communion of Saints with Jesus at the head, nothing separates us, living or dead; we are all part of God’s eternal plan.