Nov 1 Homily

Post date: Nov 02, 2020 5:15:39 PM

November 1, 2020 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

We do not concentrate today on spiritual heroes, but

on people who are saints by loving one another, caring for one another,

forgiving one another in their normal everyday lives.

We are celebrating the saints among us who do not have halos

above their heads but who, formed and inspired by the Gospel,

can make the interest of others more important than their own.

What do we celebrate tomorrow on All Souls Day? We ask ourselves,

how many of us will be perfect when we die? That’s where purgatory

comes in—it’s an opportunity to grow into the most loving,

most holy person we can possibly be. It’s logical and comforting.

Yes, Jesus’s salvation is” a finished work”,

but we must take His graces into our lives. It is not enough to just say:

“I believe.” It takes a lot of faith, sacrifice, obedience and love.

The Church pictures purgatory not as a place, but as an experience

or state of final purification after death. An experience where

we work out issues, regrets, hurts, conflicts, and venial sins,

that we might still be holding on to when we die.

God gives us what we need in this life to help us know him and serve him

in this life. If we do not do it perfectly,

the experience of purgatory will finish the job.

Today we renew our faith in life after death. Today, too, we renew our belief

in the power of prayer for those who are no longer with us,

for in Christ, they are still one with us.

We always pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (not the poor souls).

We can help them, and they can help us! Our founding pastor,

Fr. James Gallagher learned this while in a Japanese prison camp.

With Christ, our great high priest,

now we offer the greatest prayer there is—Christ’s Holy Eucharist.

Happy Feast day to all of you using God’s graces

on your journey of holiness.

French Catholic author Leon Bloy said:

“The only real sadness, the only real failure,

the great tragedy in life is not to become a saint.”