‘All’ we should remember

Joseph Lee L'Heureux

We have just celebrated Remembrance Day; a day to remember all those veterans who gave their lives in the past wars, World War I, World War II, Korea, Cyprus and now, Afghanistan. And rightly so, we should! Many gave their lives in the name of freedom, already in this century and in the past century. However, let us not forget it is not sufficient to just remember these veterans at this time. We are to remember all our family members past and present daily in prayer. In the Catholic Church we have two other days in November when we remember and pray for all saints and all souls. On Nov. 1 we remember all saints of the Church as we rejoice in all holy men and women of every time and place; in thanksgiving for their prayers, past, present and future through the Holy Mass said in every time zone. On Nov. 2 we remember all souls in time and place, especially all family members, who may not have passed on in a full state of grace. Here, many will have masses said for these souls, usually mentioned by name. What does this mean, have masses said for those who have passed on? The Mass is taking the last supper which Jesus said with His disciples and His sacrifice, His death on the Cross and bringing this ‘saving action’ into the present with His exact words, “This is my body given up for you … do this in remembrance of me … this cup that is poured out for you is the new Covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:19-20) This ‘once and for all’ sacrifice for all sin was a perpetual sacrifice for all time and people; therefore, it needs priests to offer these masses daily in every time zone and place. To make it complete, we, the faithful, are to come in thanksgiving to the altar for those whom we are praying for. Dr. Kenneth McCall, a British Anglican psychiatrist, while in a Chinese prison discovered he could bring healing to fellow prisoners of major depression and schizophrenia. That is, if he could convince these victims to raise their deceased family members to the altar thereby offering their transgression on the altar. A further example is, much later when he was in Bermuda during the late 1970s someone mentioned the curses of the Bermuda Triangle. This is the place where ships and planes have disappeared since the early 1800s. Research was done to see what atrocities could have been perpetuated on God’s people in this area. It was discovered that the slave traders transporting slaves to America would often throw the slaves overboard during storms, then return to England to claim the cargo insurance. Over one millions souls were apparently dumped into the sea. One such captain, John Newton, gave us the song Amazing Grace. Masses were offered for the souls of these slaves after this discovery with a miraculous result. The sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for these restless souls who needed prayer, obviously worked. There apparently have been no mysterious disappearances of ships or planes in the Bermuda Triangle since. The disappearance phenomena occurred approximately every 13-14 months for a period of 150 years. We have all fallen short of the Holiness of God, (Romans 3:23), therefore, if we pray for those who may not have died in a state of grace, we may have others praying for us, now and in the forever after. Our work is to “believe in Him who He has sent” and pray always. (John:6 and John 17:20). Yes!Let us remember our fallen heroes and comrades. Let us remember our not so famous brothers, sisters and family members, who died in the war of drugs, alcohol and highway accidents. Let us not forget those who never saw the light of day, all our unwanted children, abortions and miscarriages. Let us pray for God’s Divine Mercy on all souls. May God and His friends bless us all!