Day: November 2, 2025

Posted in CHRIST the SUN of JUSTICE, CONFESSION/PENANCE, MEDITATIONS - ANTONIO CARD BACCI, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on MORTAL SIN, QUOTES on PURITY, The LAST THINGS

Thought for the Day – 2 November – “Purgatory”

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Thought for the Day – 2 November – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)

“Purgatory”

“Purgatory is the masterpiece of God’s justice and mercy.
St John tells us in the Apocalypse, that nothing defiled can enter into the Heavenly Jerusalem (Apoc 21:27).

There are very few, however, who are privileged to arrive at the supreme moment of death, still wearing their Baptismal robe of innocence.
Even the just man falls very often as the Holy Spirit warns us (Prov 24:16).
We all possess many failings and have been guilty of many sins, either mortal or venial.
It is true, that we can obtain forgiveness by penance and by receiving the Sacraments but, there still remains the temporal punishment due to our sins.
Neither the small penances imposed by the Confessor, nor our own tiny acts of voluntary mortification, are sufficient to satisfy our debt.
We cannot be certain, moreover, that we shall be able, at the hour of our death, to cleanse ourselves of all our sins, by means of one good Confession.
Even if we appear before the judgement seat of God without any grave faults, there will still, unfortunately, be many debts to be paid and many imperfections to be purified.

What then will happen to us?
The justice of God cannot admit us, imperfect and defiled as we are, into the everlasting happiness of the Beatific Vision.
Will He reject us, therefore, even as He rejects those who die in mortal sin and are condemned to eternal punishment?
This is unthinkable, for the mercy of God is as Infinite as His justice.
And so, there is Purgatory, where the souls of those who have died in the state of grace but, still scarred with imperfections and burdened with debts to be paid, can find a way of purifying themselves and, of making themselves worthy of an everlasting reward.

Let us thank God for this gift, the last link in the chain of His mercies, which enables us to prepare ourselves for our entry into the Beatific Vision.”

Antonio Cardinal Bacci

Posted in CATECHESIS, Corporal Works of Mercy, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, NOVEMBER - Month of the SOULS in PURGATORY, PURGATORY, QUOTES on MERCY, QUOTES on SPIRITUAL WORKS of MERCY, St Alphonsus de Liguori,, St Francis de Sales, The HOLY SOULS

Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – the Holy Souls in Purgatory

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Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” and the Feast of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

“A person may say,
I am not much concerned
how long I stay in purgatory,
provided I may come to eternal life.
Let no-one reason thus!
Purgatory fire will be more dreadful
than whatever torments can be seen, imagined
or endured in this world.
He who is now afraid to put his finger into the fire,
does he not fear,
lest he be then all buried in torments, for a very long time?”

St Caesarius of Arles (470-543)
Bishop, Father of the Church

“To assist the Souls in Purgatory,
is to perform the most excellent of the Works of Mercy,
or rather, it is to practice, in a most sublime manner,
all the Works of Mercy together –
it is to visit the sick;
it is to give drink to thos who thirst, for the vision of God;
it is to feed the hungry, to ransom prisoners,
to clothe the naked, to procure, the hospitality
of the heavenly Jerusalem for poor exiles;
it is to comfort the afflicted, to instruct the ignorant —
in fine, to practice all the Works of Mercy in one!”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

“It is said that souls who, in this life,
have but little longing for Heaven
are punished in Purgatory
with a peculiar pain, called the pain of languor.
This surely is only just because,
to have but little longing for Heaven
is to set little value on the happiness
of that eternal Kingdom which our Lord opened to us,
by His Death. Remember then,
frequently to think of, and long for Heaven.
Say to God that your life seems an endless span,
so great is your desire to go to Him,
to see Him face-to-face and, to love Him.
Say to Him, over and over again,
Lord, as long as I live on this earth,
I am in danger of forsaking Thee and of losing Thy Love.”

“How pleasing to Him it will be,
if you sometimes forget yourself
and speak to Him of His own glory;
of the miseries of others,
especially those who mourn in sorrow;
of the souls in purgatory,
His spouses, who long to behold Him in Heaven
and, of poor sinners,
who live deprived of His grace.”

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ENEMIES, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, QUOTES on SIN, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 2 November – ‘ … I do not know how we can sleep … ‘ – St Augustine

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One Minute Reflection – 2 November – “The Month of The Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Souls Day – Ephesian 6:10-17 –,– Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“‘Thou wicked servant! I forgave thee all thy debt because thou entreated Me. Should not thou then, have had compassion also on thy fellow-servant, even as I had compassion on thee?’ ” – Matthew 18:32-33

REFLECTION – “Every man is God’s debtor and each has his brother in debt to him. Indeed, who could be without debt towards God, if not Him, in Whom is found no sin? And who could not have a debtor in his brother, if not he, whom no-one has ever offended? Thus every man is both debtor and creditor… A beggar asks you for alms but you, too, are God’s beggar, for when we pray we are all beggars of God. We stand – or rather, prostrate ourselves – at our Father’s door (cf Lk 11:5); we beseech Him with groans, anxious to receive a grace from Him and this grace is God Himself. What does the beggar ask of you? Bread. And what is it that you are asking of God but Christ, Who said: “I am the Living Bread come down from Heaven” (Jn 6:51). Do you want to receive pardon? Then, show pardon. “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” Do you want to receive? “Give and gifts will be given to you” (Lk 6:37-38) …

Thus, we ought to be ready to forgive all the wrongs done to us, if we wish God to forgive us too. Truly, if we consider our sins and think over the offences we have committed, I do not know how we can sleep, without feeling the burden of our debt weighing down upon us! And this is why we make our requests to God each day. Each day our prayers strike His ears; each day we prostrate ourselves, saying: “Forgive us our debts, as we ourselves forgive those who are in debt to us.” Which of your debts would you like to have remitted? All of them or only some? You are going to reply – All! So do the same for your debtor then!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace (Sermon 83).

PRAYER – O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy servants and handmaids, the remission of all their sins, that they may obtain, by our loving prayer,s the forgiveness which they have always desired. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS for the SOULS, PURGATORY

Our Morning Offering – 2 November – O Turn To Jesus, Mother! Turn

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Our Morning Offering – 2 November – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory” – All Souls Day and Our Lady of Suffragette

O Turn To Jesus, Mother! Turn
To Our Blessed Lady for the Souls in Purgatory (1940)
By Fr Frederick W Faber C.Orat (1814-1863)

O turn to Jesus, Mother! turn,
And call Him by His tenderest Names;
Pray for the Holy Souls that burn
This hour amid the cleansing flames.

Ah! they have fought a gallant fight;
In death’s cold arms they persevered
And after life’s uncheery night,
The harbour of their rest is neared.

In pains beyond all earthly pains,
Favourites of Jesus! there they lie,
Letting the fire wear out their stains
And worshipping God’s purity.

Spouses of Christ they are, for He
Was wedded to them by His blood
And Angels o’er their destiny
In wondering adoration brood.

They are the children of thy tears;
Then hasten, Mother! to their aid;
In pity think, each hour appears,
An age while glory is delayed.

See, how they bound amid their fires,
While pain and love their spirits fill;
Then with self-crucified desires,
Utter sweet murmurs and lie still.

Ah me! the love of Jesus yearns
O’er that abyss of sacred pain,
And as He looks, His Bosom burns
With Calvary’s dear thirst again.

O Mary! let thy Son no more
His lingering Spouses thus expect,
God’s children to their God restore
And to the Spirit His elect.

Pray then, as thou hast ever prayed;
Angels and Souls, all look to thee;
God waits thy prayers, for He hath made
Those prayers, His law of charity! Amen

(Verses 3 and 4 not on image)

Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on FASTING, QUOTES on HUMILITY, QUOTES on SELF-DENIAL, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 2 November – Saint Marcian (4th Century) Confessor

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Saint of the Day – 2 November – Saint Marcian (4th Century) Confessor, Hermit, Penitent, Mystic, Ascetic, Born on an unknown date in Cyrrhus, Syria and died in c387 at his desert hermitage there. Also known as – Marcian of Chalcis or Cyrus or Syria, Marcianus, Martianus, Markianos.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Cyrus, in Syria, St Marcian, Confessor.”

Marcian lived in a desert in Asia Minor. He was fortunate to be remembered by an exceptional writer, St Theodoret, the Bishop of Cyrus, who, in 423, wrote a “History of the Monks” giving considerable prominence to our Marcian, who had been born in Cyrus and, therefore, a source of glory for that City.

Naturally, Theodoret also speaks of the desert cell, where there was room for only one person; he praises Marcian’s spirit of penance; he extols his supernatural gifts and mystical charism; he describes the Hermit’s ascetic life and recalls the admiration he was surrounded by in the desert. He also has the merit, rare among biographers of such figures, of recording the sayings of the wise solitary.

Once, for example, five Bishops came to visit Marcian to question him, or as we would say today, to interview him. They gathered around him, sitting, waiting for his first response which, however, did not come. Silent and motionless among those Bishops, old Marcian looked like a tree trunk, dark and wrinkled.

His interviewers, however, had not come to him because they were driven by curiosity or excited by the novelty. They made him understand that his silence could be a sign of humility but too, a lack of charity. Marcian then spoke:
“The Lord of the universe, continually speaks to us through creation; He instructs us through the Sacred Scriptures; He teaches us what we must do, frightening us with the threat of punishment and spurring us on with the promise of Divine rewards.
What could Marcian add to all this?
Marcian who, like the others, neither listens to his God nor follows His holy counsels?”

Another day, he was visited by a Hermit who lived in the same desert. Marcian offered him something to eat. The Hermit was scandalised. And the Saint then spoke, to re-establish what we would call the hierarchy of values.
“Fasting, must not be esteemed more than food.
Instead, we must esteem charity above all else.
Charity is commanded to us by the Lord and is pleasing to Him.
Fasting, however, depends on our own choice.
There is no doubt, we must honour God’s Commandment more than our own austerity.”

Despite this, he was austere. He fasted voluntarily and willingly; he disciplined and mortified himself but he did not make these things the purpose of his life. Man’s sole purpose is, in fact, charity, even if he dwells in the desert, far from men and the world.
Without charity, says St. Paul, we are nothing but clanging cymbals; all of us, even if we are Hermits in the desert!

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY SOULS

Pentecost XXI, Within the All Saints Octave, Notre-Dame D’Emminont / Our Lady of Emminont. France (12th Century) and Memorials of the Saints for 2 November

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Pentecost XXI
Within the ALL SAINTS OCTAVE

All Souls Day – (Will be celebrated tomorrow) The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed: Commemoration of the faithful departed in Purgatory. Abbot Odilo of Cluny instituted it in the Monasteries of his congregation in 998, other religious orders took up the observance and it was adopted by various Diocese and gradually by the whole Church. The Office of the Dead must be recited by the clergy on this day and Pope Benedict XV granted to all Priests, the privilege of saying three Masses of requiem – one for the souls in Purgatory
one for the intention of the Holy Father
one for the Priest’s intentions
If the feast should fall on Sunday it is kept on 3 November.
Patronage: Monselice, Italy
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/02/commemoration-of-all-souls-day-2-november/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/11/02/the-commemoration-of-all-the-holy-souls-in-purgatory-2-november/

Notre-Dame D’Emminont / Our Lady of Emminont. Abbeville, France (12th Century) – 2 November:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/02/the-commemoration-of-all-the-faithful-departed-all-souls-day-notre-dame-demminont-our-lady-of-emminont-abbeville-france-12th-century-and-memorials-of-the-saints-2-november/

St Ambrose of Agaune
St Ambrose of Agaune
St Amicus of Fonte Avellana
St Amicus of Rambone
St Baya of Scotland
St Domninus of Grenoble
St Erc of Slane
St Eustochium of Tarsus
St George of Vienne

Blessed John Bodey (1549-1583) Layman, Martyr, Husband and Schoolmaster.
Born in 1549 at Wells, Somerset, England and died on 2 November 1583 at Andover, England by being hanged, drawn and quartered for the crime of being a Catholic and refusing to accept Elizabeth I, Queen of England, as the Head of the Church. Blessed John was Beatified on 15 December 1929 together with Blessed John Slade (feast day 30 October), by Pope Pius XI.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/11/02/saint-of-the-day-2-november-blessed-john-bodey-1549-1583-layman-martyr/

Bl John Bodey left and St Swithun Wells, right at Winchester Catholic Cathedral

St Jorandus of Kergrist
St Justus of Trieste
St Marcian (4th Century) Confessor

Blessed Margaret OSC (1463-1521) Duchess of Alençon, Mother, Widow, Nun of the Poor Clares, Apostle of the sick, the poor and those suffering under unjust feudal lords.
Her Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/11/02/saint-of-the-day-2-november-blessed-margaret-of-lorraine-osc-1463-1521/

St Maura of Scotland

St Theodotus (c260–c335) Bishop of Laodicea (in modern Turkey), Philosopher, possibly a Physician, Theologian. He initially defended the Arians but after being provisionally excommunicated, he repented his stance and became a defender of orthodoxy.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Laodicea in Syria, St Theodotus, a Bishop, powerful in words and adorned with good works and virtues.”
His Life of Service:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/11/02/saint-of-the-day-2-november-saint-theodotus-c260-c335-bishop/

St Victorinus (Died c 304) Bishop of Pettau, Martyr, learned Exegetists on both the Old and the New Testament, ecclesiastical writer, theologian.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/02/saint-of-the-day-2-november-st-victorinus-of-pettau-died-c-304/

St Willebald of Bavaria

Martyrs of Isfahan – 5+ Saints: Acindynus, Pegasius and Anempodistus were Persian priests who were imprisoned, tortured, interrogated and Martyred in the persecutions of king Sapor II of Persia; he considered any Christian to be a Roman spy and anti-Persian.

Martyrs of Sebaste – 10 Saints: A group of ten soldiers in the imperial Roman army of Emperor Licinius Licinianus who were executed together for refusing to burn incense as a sacrifice to the emperor. The only details that have survived are five of their names – Agapius, Cartherius, Eudoxius, Styriacus and Tobias. They were burned at the stake in 315 in Sebaste