All Saints...

...All Souls, what's the difference?

I was once asked (a few years ago) what the difference between All Saints and All Souls was, being young(er) and dare I say, less 'rounded' [or should that be grounded?] in my faith I waffled some meaningless twaddle coming to a totally unintelligible answer.

Anyway, yesterday’s homily from the dean of St David’s Cathedral, Cardiff gave me the answer. In his homily he said that on All Saints day we rejoice for those that we know are in Heaven, those that the Church has officially recognised and those the church hasn’t, who are fully embraced in the joy that would encompass our immortal souls whilst in the presence of the beatific vision. [OK, I dressed it up a little.]

He then went on to say that this is different to All Souls day, because on “All Souls day, we remember and pray for those in purgatory.”

I WAS SHOCKED! For the first time in a while I had heard mention of ‘purgatory’ something which, unless you watch EWTN, attend Mass celebrated by a truly orthodox priest/bishop you will not have heard of in a while. By most the idea of purgatory has been shelved, never to be spoken of again... along with the Devil.

What does that mean? Could it mean that the Devil has won? There is nothing better or more powerful than a silent enemy. An enemy who has been forgotten. But no, he hasn’t won! As long as many remain faithful to the eternal teaching of the Church the Devil will never win!

*preach over*

In Domino