Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

These are the three days of the year when we see a fucused criss-cross over the barriers among the Church Militant (us), the Church Suffering (The Souls in Purgatory), and the Church Triumphant (The Souls in Heaven). On the Vigil of All Souls, October 31st, we're given a special opportunity (especially as our cultural celebrations have evolved) to consider our place among these three. As the Church Militant, preparing to honor the Church Triumphant(on All Saints Day), saecular Halloween tests us every year, doesn't it? Do we celebrate it in a wholesome, Godly way that points us in the direction of the Church Triumphant (the saints), or do we fall to the common, expected, worldly way and point ourselves in the direction of the Church Suffering (Purgatory), where expiation for sin can only be relieved through the prayers of others? Lots of ways we can go on Halloween, day one of the Triduum: choose well! 

Today, though, is All Saints' Day, the second day of the triduum of All Hallowtide. On this day we remember  and honor those souls who have already won the crown of sanctity -- not a thing that was handed to them, not a participation trophy as some sects would like to believe. This is a crown the saints worked for, prayed for, and sacrificed to win. Not only do we get to honor the success of the saints in heaven today, but the Church hopes we are paying close attention to how the saints got to where they are!

Tomorrow, the Feast of All Souls, we remember those many many souls still working their way to heaven in the cleansing fires of Purgatory. They've passed the particular judgement and avoided damnation, Deo Gratias! -- but they racked up too many low marks in the grade book of life and/or failed to do the make-up work in their lifetimes to merit the passing grade to heaven. No person, other than the Blessed Mother, is perfect -- not even the greatest of the saints, but we can all bring up our grades! We all have plenty of chances to pray and sacrifice away the punishment due to sin. It is such a grace to be Catholic and know this! Not only can we work away our own punishment, but -- stop and absorb this for a minute -- we can get others "out of detention," too! We can post their bond, so to speak -- and shorten their stays -- or even send them right in to heaven. How cool is that?? Then, those souls we get to heaven will certainly pray for us while we are still on earth -- and when we are serving our time in detention after our death -- to get us quickly to heaven. Why wouldn't everyone want to do this? Talk about a deal! (Get lots of toties quoties in this week! It behooves everyone!)

We are so so blessed to have our Catholic Faith! Do we even realize it? While most of the world (or at least America) is recovering from candy-induced comas today, and cleaning fake cobwebs off their porches, smart Catholics are participating in heroic measures of cosmic importance -- the truest philanthropy in the universe, the only thing we can do that has real eternal benefit: getting souls to heaven. And, God willing, paying attention and learning how to get our own souls there, too.

About the Toties Quoties

(Pronounced: ˈtōtēˌāˈskwōtēˌās)

For November 1 and November 2: a special plenary indulgence may be received when one fulfills the
"Toties Quoties" prayers. From noon on All Saints Day through midnight of All Souls Day, the Catholic faithful, as often as they visit a Catholic church to pray for the dead, reciting six times during each visit the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be for the intentions of Holy Mother Church may gain a plenary indulgence applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, under the usual conditions of making a good Confession within a week before or after, worthily receiving Holy Communion within the week and having the right intention of heart.

This is called the Toties Quoties Indulgence -- mispronounced lovingly, especially by our teenagers as the "Toe-teez Quoe-teez." It doesn't matter how you say it, though, so long as you take advantage of the opportunity! I absolutely love being over at the church and school during this time, where I can bump in to all the school children who are getting in as many Toties Quoties as they can. It becomes a badge of honor to do fifty or more! The kind of competition amongst the children that heaven must just love!

If you have a few minutes even, do please try to get some Souls into heaven this week!! Note that each set of prayers must be " bracketed" by leaving the church -- only momentarily, if you like, by going out the doors and coming right back in before another set and another soul released.

What amazing power of charity the good God gives us!! Let's take advantage and hope someone does the same for us some day!

 

“Toties Quoties” Indulgences

From noon on November 1st to midnight on November 2nd (a span of 36 hours), the Catholic faithful, as often as they visit a church to pray for the faithful departed, and recite six times during each visit the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the intentions of the Church, may gain a plenary indulgence applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, under the usual conditions of:

Confession (within a week before or after)

Holy Communion (within the day before or up to a week after)

(This plenary indulgence may also be gained from noon on the following Saturday to midnight on the following Sunday, but only by those who did not gain it on the preceding November 1st and 2nd.)