May the Saints & Feast Days for the month of November inspire you to grow closer to Jesus Christ. The month of November is dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory.
November 1: The Solemnity of All Saints
On this day the Church celebrates all the saints. Those who are canonized or beatified, and the multitude of those who are in heaven that are known only to God. This multitude was shown to St. John the Apostle in Revelation:
“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.”” (Rev. 7:9-10)
The feast of All Saints is a day of great hope and inspiration for us. As the Epistle to the Hebrews states “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us.” (Heb. 12:1)
A priest was once asked “how many people attended the early morning Mass yesterday”? He responded “There were three old ladies, the janitor, several thousand archangels, a large number of seraphim, and several million of the triumphant saints of God”. Let us keep in mind the great cloud of witnesses that surround us at every Mass.
The Catholic Roots of Halloween: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-10/the-catholic-roots-of-halloween-the-vigil-of-all-saints-day.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com
November 2: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
This day is the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, also known as All Souls Day, a day set aside to pray for all the departed. All Souls Day is the beginning of praying for the Faithful Departed throughout November. The Catechism reminds us of the purpose and reality of purgatory, “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven”(CCC 1030).
The need for prayer for the dead has been acknowledged by the Church and is taught in Scripture: “It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.” (2 Macc. 12: 46). Our intentions are expressed in public and private prayers, and especially in the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the repose of the departed souls.
“We believe in the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always attentive to our prayers” – (CCC, 962).
November 7: First Friday of the Month– Honor the Sacred Heart
November 10: St. Leo the Great (400-461)
St. Leo reigned as Pope from 440 to 461. He was named a Doctor of the Church In 1754, based on the 100 sermons and 150 letters he wrote which are preserved to this day. He was a staunch defender of the faith and during his pontificate the Church settled a major doctrinal dispute in the Council of Chalcedon (451) which defined that Christ is one divine person with two natures, divine and human.
He is famous for stopping Attila the Hun from sacking and burning Rome. The Pope persuaded Attila to turn back, and as the story goes, when the Hun was asked by his servants why, contrary to custom, he had so meekly yielded to the entreaties of a Roman bishop, he answered that he had been alarmed by a figure dressed like a priest that stood at Leo’s side; this individual was holding a drawn sword and acted as if he would kill him if he advanced farther. As a result, Attila retreated.
“Beyond our grasp, He chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, He began to exist at a moment in time.” – Pope St. Leo
November 13: St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, Virgin
She was a religious sister who is the founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus founded in 1880 in Italy. She gave her life to the Lord and serving others. In 1889 the Holy Father sent her to United States, where she helped to establish 67 schools, orphanages, schools and hospitals for Italian immigrants and those in need. She became an American Citizen in 1909 and is the first American citizen to be canonized a saint in 1946.
“Work in me, oh adorable Heart of Jesus, because you know well how incapable I am of doing perfectly everything that you want of me.”- Mother Francis Xavier Cabrini
“Saint Cabrini lived the spirit of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Step after step, hers was a life offered entirely to comfort and to make the Sacred Heart known and loved. And this enabled her to look at the hearts of those to whom she drew near and assisted so as to respond to them in a coherent way. This important anniversary vividly reminds us all of the necessity of a faith capable of seizing the moment of grace that we experience. As difficult as it may seem, she tells us that we must do as she did: be able to understand the signs of our time, to read them in light of the Word of God, and to live them in such a way as to give a response that touches the heart of each person.” – POPE FRANCIS
November 21: The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The presentation of Mary in the temple is not recorded in the Bible, but is described in an apocryphal account from the 2nd century writing, the Protoevangelium of James. The account tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was three years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless.
Though scholars debate the historical accuracy of the Protoevangelium of James, the Presentation was also attested to by St. Maximus the Confessor, and the mystics Venerable Maria of Agreda and Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. The feast of Mary’s Presentation has an important theological purpose. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary at her Immaculate Conception, continued through her early childhood and beyond.
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant could be seen in the temple… A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” (Rev 11:19, 12:1)
November 23: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, formerly referred to as “Christ the King,” was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 as an antidote to secularism. This is a way of thinking in which a person organizes their life as if God did not exist. The purpose of the feast is to proclaim Christ as Creator, Redeemer, Shepherd, and Judge. As King of the Universe, His kingdom extends to all nations and places, is eternal, and is not of this world.
Just as the universal Church celebrates Christ as King of the Universe, our family domestic church can celebrate this through the Enthronement of the Sacred Heart. Let us continue to honor Christ in the liturgy and our home, as King, Savior, and Friend.
“I saw coming with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man. When He reached the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him, He received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples, and tongues will serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away.” (Dan. 7:13,14)
St Catherine of LaBoure was missed.