We begin each November with the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls, but the entire month is dedicated to remembering (and praying for!) the dead.
Autumn is a great time of year for death. Or we should say a great time to think about death. The leaves are falling, the plants are dying, the days are growing shorter. Halloween was traditionally a great reminder of death. Unfortunately, it’s been hijacked and commercialized by big businesses. Too bad, because the saints have often reminded us that remembering death is a good thing. Ideally, remembering the fact that we will die would help us to live a good life. Forgetting the inevitability of death is not good for us. Nor is it good for those who have already died; if we do not remember death, then we won’t remember to pray for them. And the dead do need our prayers.
“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1030) “This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: ‘Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.’ From the beginning, the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers for them, above all at the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead….” (CCC #1031-1032)
So, prayer is the order of the day (or month)! Again, we can pray for the faithful departed at Mass, obviously, but we can also pray for them at countless other times, like before meals, in Adoration, at bedtime, or during the Rosary. Here is a great way to start: “Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen!”
***
St. Martin de Porres, whose Feast we celebrate today, was born in Lima, Peru in 1579 as the son of Spanish businessman and a freed African woman from Panama. Being of mixed race, Martin was of a lower social caste, though his father (after initial reluctance) looked out for him and made sure the boy was apprenticed in a good trade.
St. Martin studied to be a barber, which, at that time, meant that he also learned medicine. He became very well known for his compassion and skill as a barber, and cared for many people as well as animals. Eventually he became a Third Order Dominican, which meant he was a lay man associated with the Order, living at the monastery. Though he longed to be a missionary, he was never afforded the opportunity. His prayer life was intense and he was often found in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. He was considered to be very wise, and many sought out his advice and intercession. He was tireless in serving others, saw in them their dignity as brothers and sisters in the Lord, and by the time he died he was known far and wide as “Martin the charitable.”
Let us pray. “To you, Saint Martin de Porres, we prayerfully lift up our hearts filled with confidence and devotion. Mindful of your unbounded and helpful charity to all whom you met, and also of your meekness and humility of heart, we offer our petitions to Jesus the Lord, through your good and generous intercession. Beg the Lord, please, to pour out upon our world the precious gifts of unity, of fraternity, and of justice. In Christ’s Name we pray. Amen.”
