Brian McCallNovember 2023 Edition Now Available — Preview HERE
Dear Friends of Catholic Tradition,
November is the month dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Devotion to the Holy Souls is one of the most Catholic acts of charity. Unlike our fellow men on earth, the Holy Souls cannot help themselves in any way. Their sentence in the fires of Purgatory has been pronounced and in justice must be fulfilled to the letter. Yet, God in His infinite mercy has permitted a commutation of that sentence. Only we, the Church Militant, can access that font of mercy for the Holy Souls. We can offer prayers, sacrifices, and most importantly the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to pay the debt in full or in part for them. The Church has such a great desire that we come to their aid that she grants special indulgences this month that we can obtain for these souls who need to purge the remnants of sin to enter into eternal bliss.
Although our motive should primarily rest in love of the Holy Souls out of love for God so that we desire that their souls be united to Him in the Beatific Vision, secondarily we can note that it is hard to imagine a person with greater gratitude for our help than a Holy Soul we have aided on their path of purgation. Rather than being the priest or Levite who passes them by on this road to salvation, we can by the Good Samaritan that heals their wounds. They will for all eternity exhibit their gratitude for our aid. An act of generosity in this life can easily be forgotten over the years, yet nothing is forgotten in eternity.
I recall one of the elderly Immaculate Heart nuns who still taught in my parish school, St. Charles Borromeo, in the decade after the Council. She often urged us to offer prayers and sacrifices “for the most abandoned soul in Purgatory,” that soul that has lingered without anyone to lighten their burden. I have always remembered her advice these past decades and in particular during the month of November. Sadly, the numbers of abandoned Holy Souls have likely skyrocketed since the Second Vatican Council. If you have been to a funeral in the new rite service (you cannot really call it a Requiem or funeral), you likely heard something like I did at my grandmother’s service: “Don’t pray for this person; they are in Heaven.” The Conciliar Church has convinced a billion Catholics to forget about the Holy Souls because that reminder is a reminder of our own sin and guilt and of the justice of God. It doesn’t fit with the idea that no matter what one does, and of what one does not repent, salvation is guaranteed for almost everyone immediately upon “passing.” Meanwhile parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends are completely forgotten after the luncheon on the day of burial (or now, more often, cremation).
At Catholic Family News, it is our mission to remind Catholics around the world of truths like this one about Purgatory. With your help, we continue to make content available in print, online, in video, and in audio that is not being heard in the pulpits of parish churches or the halls of power in chanceries or the Vatican. We could not keep this beacon of Catholic truth burning without your continued support. Please consider performing an act of charity for the Holy Souls, sign someone you know up for a yearly subscription, and offer the financial sacrifice that will assist a Holy Soul while offering a short prayer for that soul. I have always wondered in making that prayer for the most abandoned soul in Purgatory if one time I was praying for that sister who was likely forgotten by the updated IHM nuns.
In the Holy Souls,
Brian M. McCall
Editor-in-Chief
Murray Rundus
Matt Gaspers
