Month: November 2012

Today we remember all the members of the Dominican family who have died. Here at the Monastery we especially remember two of our sisters who died this year, Sr. Mary Catherine, OP and Sr. Mary Therese, OP, as well as our former chaplain, Fr. John Dominic Logan, OP, who also died this year. We pray that their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed will rest in peace and that they will intercede for us and for all the Dominican family still here on earth. We miss you and we live in the hope that one day we will all be reunited in Heaven!

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them!

 

We once had a Dominican chaplain who told us when he was in the novitiate (pre-Vatican II) he had to memorize the names of all the Dominican saints! Of course that would be extremely difficult now that the number of saints has increased substantially, thanks to the canonizations of the Vietnamese martyrs among others in recent years. But today is also a day to remember all the saints of the Order who are not canonized, who probably never will be…the saints we live and work with every day. Sometimes it seems we are too close to holiness to fully grasp it when we live with it–we see all the little flaws and quirks and such, and miss the bigger picture. But if we open the eyes of faith, we can see God\’s goodness shining through all people. We give thanks to God for all our Dominican saints, those we know and love, those we don\’t know but remember today as they intercede for us in Heaven. May they intercede for all the people of the world, that we may all grow in love for God and neighbor every day!

 

Today the Church Militant (those of us here on earth) celebrates the solemnity of All Saints, rejoicing in the Church Triumphant (in Heaven). This is a wonderful feast because it honors everyone in Heaven. All of these saints intercede for us before the throne of God! In addition to the many canonized saints (those the Church assures us are in Heaven) there are countless saints we remember today: parents, grandparents, friends, benefactors, sisters and brothers, godparents, neighbors, people like Dorothy Day or Oscar Romero who are not canonized but surely must be interceding for us! And if we are not sure whether someone we love has entered the glory of Heaven just yet, we have tomorrow\’s feast of All Souls to pray for them as they continue their Purgatory! Let us ask all the saints to pray for us today, and let us live in the joyful hope that our true home is Heaven too.