A Beacon of Light . . . Ye Holy Ones, Pray For Us!
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Jr.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.)
- + + On October 31, the world celebrated the secular holiday we call, Halloween. When I was a child, I never really knew the significance of Halloween, except that it was a day to dress up in funny costumes and get candy. Halloween, however, was the day the evil spirits and demons would wander around trying to pull us into temptation. It was the precursor to the day that followed, the Solemnity of All Saints.
As I grew and my faith increased, I realized that the celebration of Halloween had become a distraction. This secular holiday often allows confusion in living the faith. This is why I always chose costumes that depicted the faith. My costumes ranged from priest, pope, and even St. Francis of Assisi, with coffee grains glued to my face resembling a beard. The Lord was constantly leading me toward a vocation in the spiritual life. For me, I wasn’t celebrating the gruesome secular holiday of Halloween, I was celebrating All Hallows’ Eve.
As November approaches, however, we come to the end of the Church’s Liturgical Year. November is a time when we are invited to reflect on the three stages of the Church, namely, the Church Militant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant.
One of my former assignments, St. Joseph Church in North Grosvenordale, Conn., was a treasury of sacred art. St. Joseph Parish was from the French Victorian era with painted ceilings, exquisitely hand-carved statuary and a stunning sanctuary that raised one’s soul to Heaven. The mahogany altar rail and towering high altar, transforms the faithful into a supernatural encounter with the Divine.
Nestled in the rear of the church is a three-dimensional raised mural depicting the three stages of the Church. These three stages are central in our understanding of who we are as the Church. Within this mural are three distinct, yet connected, scenes.
At the top we see God seated on His Throne with all the angels and saints hovering above. We see the angels with musical instruments and the celebration that ensues in the heavenly Kingdom. In the middle of the mural is a beautiful scene of a priest offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at the High Altar surrounded by the faithful in prayer. On the bottom we see an image of Purgatory, with souls reaching for Heaven. They are surrounded by the fire of purification. This mural was one of the pieces of sacred art that always reminded me of the stages on the church.
With the celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints, we focus our attention on the Church Triumphant. By explaining the Church as Triumphant, we are referring to those saints, and souls, who have the privilege of enjoying the Heavenly Kingdom. Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend the Church Triumphant, because we think of saints as far off, not within our reach.
On the contrary, we can look to several saints of our time: members of the Church Triumphant. One is St. Teresa of Calcutta, more affectionately known as Mother Teresa. In 1995, Mother Teresa was invited to New Bedford, Mass., to open a Convent of the Missionaries of Charity. Part of the celebration included a visit from St. Teresa and the celebration of Holy Mass.
By the grace of God, I had the privilege of meeting her! It was during the Mass at the sign of peace. I was in the front row on the right side of the main aisle. As I turned to my left across the aisle there she was, St. Teresa of Calcutta. As I motioned to offer a sign of peace, she came out of the pew into the aisle, and we met halfway. We embraced and offered the sign of peace.
What was interesting was that she spoke to me in a very loving way. She encouraged me in my vocation and assured me of her prayers. I gave her a hug, totally afraid of breaking this little holy nun, and returned to my pew. Little did I know, I was hugging a saint of God! We are blessed to have the entire Communion of Saints interceding for us before God.
On October 31, 2020, the Church celebrated a new blessed among the heavenly choirs: Blessed Michael McGivney, a simple parish priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus, who was an outstanding example of the church at prayer. Blessed Michael McGivney was courageous in his determination of living the faith. His fortitude enabled him to move the most difficult souls to the Lord. He encouraged a revival of true parish life, united in prayer and action. As the faithful we are encouraged to pray through the intercession of the holy saints and blessed holy ones, who have given us an example to follow in living our own faith.
In union with the Church Triumphant, we also participate in constant prayer for the souls in Purgatory. Our prayers are needed to assist those on the brink of entering Heaven. Purgatory is the place we need to fix imperfections and earthly blemishes, making amends for our earthly errors.
November 2 is the Commemoration of the faithful departed, commonly known as All Souls’ Day. This is the day when we remember all the faithfully departed, but more important, the souls in Purgatory. All Souls’ Day is a day when priests can celebrate three Masses. The first Mass is offered for the Holy Father’s intentions, followed by the second offered for all the souls, and finally, the third Mass is offered for a particular intention.
Each year when I celebrate All Souls’ Day, I take all the names of the people whose funerals I celebrated in the previous year and place them on the altar for the entire month of November. Each year I look forward to celebrating All Souls’ Day, the one day of the year when I wear my black vestments to commemorate the importance of the faithfully departed. It is also a day when we are encouraged to visit the cemetery and offer prayers to all the people buried there. Whenever I visit a cemetery, I see a field of hope! Hope that one day these mortal bodies will be reunited with the spiritual body at the Second Coming.
The third stage of the Church is the Church Militant. Sometimes it is also called the Church praying, or Church at prayer. We are the Church Militant! Every one of us makes up this special part of the Church. This is especially accomplished when the entire Church is united in prayer. In 2013, I visited the Eternal City of Rome. This visit coincided with the Anniversary of my Ordination to the Priesthood.
While in Rome, I was able to participate in the Celebration of Corpus Domini, or as we call it Corpus Christi, with the Holy Father. This was a beautiful example of the Church at prayer, or the Church Militant. The Pope, bishops, priests, religious, and the laity all worshiping together. This is the most visible sign of the unity of the Church at prayer.
Religious Persecution
In today’s world, we need reminders of the importance of the Church at prayer. We especially are called to unite in prayer against the evil of religious persecution. We must also continue to pray fervently for an end to the moral evil of our time. The Church Militant must pray harder! The Church and the world are under attack from the evil one and the battle is ongoing!
The three stages of the Church, when united, present us with the perfect example of how to live the faith. United with the saints and blessed, the souls in Purgatory and us the faithful, we experience the fullness of the Church.
Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones, pray for us! May the Souls of All the Faithful Departed, Rest in Peace!