THE SAINTS

From Around the Year with the TRAPP FAMILY
By Maria Augusta Trapp

I don't know what I would have done without the saints in bringing up our large family. Long before our children could memorize the Apostle's Creed and pronounce, "I believe in the Communion of Saints," they were already participating in it. Very early they had learned that the Communion of
Saints is one large, happy family whose members have one thing in common: they want to go to heaven. Some of them, like ourselves, are still living here on earth, working hard to reach the goal. Very many, however, have already reached it. These are our big sisters and brothers, the saints.
And there is still another group. As Our Lord has said once that nothing unclean can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, most of the souls, after they leave the body in death, are not found ready and have to be purified in Purgatory from the last stain of sin. Even while suffering, these souls
are happy because they know that, for them, time with its great dangers is over and soon they will be forever united with their Lord and God.

"Be ye perfect even as your Heavenly Father is perfect," says Our Lord, and "This is the will of God--your sanctification," explains St. Paul. We mothers cannot begin early enough to make it seem quite natural to our little ones that we all--they and we--must strive to become saints just like....And this is where our big sisters and brothers enter in. The most precious thing about the saints is that they were not born that way. They had their faults just as all of us do, and they had to work hard to
overcome them. Some of them were quick-tempered like St. Peter or St. Francis de Sales; some even lied and stole and cheated their mother, as St. Augustine tells us about himself; some were quite wicked, like St. Paul or Mary Magdalene; others were meek and mild from the beginning,
like little St. Therese and Dominico Savio. We parents could learn from the great eagerness with which the children take to certain TV programs or movies with Hopalong Cassidy or other popular performers that every young soul is a hero-worshipper. Children simply need someone to look up
to, to imitate. Well, there is no Hollywood hero who could not be easily outdone by one of the saints. Among that very large number of our big sisters and brothers who "made it" there is one for every kind of child.

There are the Old Testament saints. Some of their stories are more exciting than all of Grimm's fairy tales. Think of the stories of Abraham when he goes up the mountain to sacrifice his only son; of King David and King Solomon; the prophet Jeremiah; Daniel in the lion's den; and Tobias with his friend, Raphael; not to forget our saintly first parents, Adam and Eve, whose feast the Church celebrates on the vigil of the birth of Our Lord, December 24th. There are the stories of the holy women--Judith,
Ruth, and Esther; that exciting adventure story of Joseph in Egypt; and the harrowing tale of Job on the dunghill.

Then there are the New Testament saints--all the Apostles and the holy women. There are the many heroes from the time when Christianity was an underground movement the martyrs of the first centuries, especially the young ones--the boy Tarcisius, who was killed as he was carrying the
Blessed Sacrament secretly to the prisoners in Rome, the girls Agnes and Philomene and Cecilia. There are rich saints like King Louis of France and Queen Elizabeth of Hungary and Queen Margaret of Scotland. There are poor saints like Francis of Assisi and Benedict Joseph Labre. There are
saints who were sick most of their lives, like Lydwina. There are saints who were famous for their jokes and laughter, like Philip Neri and Don Bosco. When we turn the pages of one of the books with a daily story about one of the saints, we find that there were holy boys and girls, holy mothers and fathers, holy lawyers, doctors, slaves, popes and priests, farmers and swineherds, tailors and bakers--just "holy everybody," as one of our children once said.

My husband had once taken great pains to tell a beautiful fairy tale to the children. When he had finished, the oldest asked, "Is all of that true, Father?" Slightly embarrassed, he had to admit that it was not, whereupon the child said, "Why did you tell us, then?" Often afterwards, when we came across tales of saints who had spent their lives sitting on a column, such as Simon the Stilite, or who flew through the air like Joseph of Cupertino, we would say that as a story this equaled any fairy
tale but had the added advantage of standing the crucial test, "Father, was that true?"

First of all a child must be acquainted with his own patron saints, whose names were given to him at his baptism. Later on he will also learn about the patron saints in his immediate family, and in a large family like ours this will amount to a great number of stories. Then, by and by, as the child grows up and hears more about these big sisters and brothers, he will add some of his own liking. I told my children always to look for saints who had the same troubles and the same faults as they did and then
to ask his or her intercession. He must know how it is. Whereupon one day one of the little ones said to me, "Mother, I know now why you choose St. Peter as your favorite saint. He could get so mad that he once even cut somebody's ear off!"

Throughout the centuries Christian people have adopted this same policy.
They have searched in the lives of the saints and have chosen certain
ones as patrons for certain ailments. There is, for instance, a group of
fourteen saints particularly famous for their prompt intercession in
special cases, known as the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Fourteen Auxiliary
Saints). Here is the list, together with the attributes by which they are
characterized in painting and sculpture.

(1) St. George (April 23rd), soldier-martyr. Always represented with the
dragon he strikes down. He is invoked against the devil, and together
with St. Sebastian and St. Maurice he is the patron of soldiers.

(2) St. Blaise (February 3rd), bishop, carries two candles crossed; he is
invoked against diseases of the throat.

(3) St. Erasmus (June 2nd), martyr. His entrails are wound around a
windlass. He is invoked against diseases of the stomach. Patron of
seafarers.

(4) St. Pantaleon (July 27th), bishop. He is recognized by his nailed
hands. Invoked against consumption. Together with St. Luke and Saints
Cosmas and Damien, patron of doctors.

(5) St. Vitus (June 15th), martyr. He is recognized by his cross. Invoked
against St. Vitus' dance and the bite of poisonous or mad animals.

(6) St. Christopher (July 25th), bears the Infant Jesus on his shoulder.
Invoked in storms and against accidents in travel.

(7) St. Denis (October 9th), bishop, holds his head in his hands. Invoked
for people who are possessed by a devil.

(8) St. Cyriacus (August 8th), martyr, wears deacon's vestments. Invoked
against diseases of the eye.

(9) St. Acathius (May 8th), martyr, wears a crown of thorns. Invoked
against headache.

(10) St. Eustace (September 20th), martyr, wears hunting clothes and is
shown with a stag. Invoked against fire--temporal and eternal. Patron of
hunters.

(11) St. Giles (September 1st) , hermit, is recognized by his Benedictine
habit and his hind. Invoked against panic, epilepsy, madness, and
nightmares.

(12) St. Margaret (July 20th), martyr, keeps a dragon in chains. Invoked
against pains in the loins. Patron for women in childbirth.

(13) St. Barbara (December 4th), martyr, is recognized by her tower and
the ciborium. Invoked against sudden death. Patron of artillery men and
miners.

(14) St. Catherine (November 25th), martyr, is shown with a broken wheel.
Invoked by students, philosophers, orators, and barristers as "the wise
counselor."

In the old country, a picture of the Fourteen Holy Helpers is to be found
in many a little wayside shrine or impressive pilgrimage church, such as
Vierzehn-Heiligen in Bavaria.

It cannot be stressed enough that perhaps the most important books in the home, after Holy Scriptures, are those dealing with the lives of the saints. Besides the classic Butler, there are other collections. We always liked Omer Englebert's "The Lives of the Saints," (New York, David
McKay Co.) which gives the story of several saints for every day, thus providing one with many "true stories." Looking through those "Lives" becomes more and more fascinating as we realize the many links uniting these people of long ago with us in the twentieth century. To my amazement I discovered that there is a patron saint for practically every profession--though we have to distinguish between saints appointed by the people themselves and others appointed by Rome.

Thus the Holy Father, Pius XII, named St. Michael the patron of policemen, St. Albert the Great
as patron for scientists, St. Alphonse Liguori as patron of Confessors, and St. Catherine of Siena as patron of nurses. He appointed Our Lady under her title of the Immaculate Conception as patroness of the soldiers of the United States, while his predecessor, Pius XI, made St. Therese of Lisieux patron of all missionaries, St. Aloysius patron of all young people, the famous Cure of Ars, St. Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, the patron of parish priests. What I myself like best of all is that Rome
appointed Our Lady of Loretto the patroness of aviators (obviously because she steered successfully the holy house of Nazareth through the air and had it land in Loretto, Italy, where it has been venerated since the Middle Ages).

Besides these "appointments" of patron saints, there are many chosen by the people. I never could find out why St. Anthony of Padua (June 13th) has to find lost objects for everybody around the globe or why St. Matthew (February 24th) is the patron of repentant drunkards. With other
saints it is easy to see why some incident of their life or death was taken up by the people as indications that they should be invoked in special cases. Good St. Anne is the patron saint for mothers-in-law and domestic troubles; St. Florian (May 4th), who was a Roman soldier
condemned to death as a Christian and drowned in the River Enns in Austria, is universally invoked to extinguish fires, obviously with the help of the water hallowed by his death; St. Bartholomew (August 24th), who was skinned alive, was made patron for all tanners and butchers. It is easy to see why the Holy Innocents (December 28th) are the patrons of choir boys and foundlings but rather hard to fathom why St. Margaret (July 20th) cures kidney diseases.

One of our children made a list once, "in case we need it," of saints to be invoked for special illnesses. Here it is:

Against fever--St. Hugh (April 29th)
Against epilepsy--St. John Chrysostom (January 27th)
Against burns and poisons--St. John the Evangelist (December 27th)
Against inflammations--St. Benedict (March 21st)
Against cough and whooping cough--St. Blaise (February 3rd) Against
consumption--St. Pantaleon (July 27th)
Against cold--St. Sebaldus (August 19th)
Patron of all the sick and dying--St. John of God (March 8th)

One of our boys got interested in patron saints for special professions.
Here is his little list:

St. Jerome--patron of students (September 30th)
St. Isidore--patron of laborers (May 10th)
St. Ives--patron of lawyers, jurists, advocates, notaries, and orphans
(May 19th)
The "Four Crowned Martyrs"--patrons of masons and sculptors (November
8th)
St. Francis de Sales--patron of writers (January 29th)
St. Gomer--patron of the unhappily married (October 11th)
St. Gregory the Great--patron of singers (March 12th)
St. Cecilia--patroness of musicians (November 22nd)
St. John the Baptist--patron of tailors (June 24th)
St. Paul--patron of rope-makers (June 30th)

If there are girls and boys in a family and one of the boys has made a list of various saints for different professions, the girls simply have to make a list of patron saints, too. Ours found patron saint for animals:

Bees--St. Ambrose (December 7th)
Pigs--St. Anthony the hermit (January 17th)
Dogs--St. Rochus (August 16th)
Horses--St. Leonard (November 6th)
Asses--St. Anthony of Padua (June 13th)
Birds--St. Francis of Assisi (October 4th)
Fish--St. Anthony (June 13th)

And once in a while somebody would come running with a special discovery.

"Mother, look! We have enough girls in our family. I found a patron saint to obtain male children: St. Felicitas (July 10th)!"

"Mother, do you think Aunt Susan knows there is a saint of old maids--St. Catherine of Alexandria (November 25th) ?"

They also found that St. Gaston is the patron of children who learned to walk very late, and they discovered a few very valuable saints for weather. If you want rain, pray to St. Odo; if you want sunshine, pray to St. Claire. But the head of the heavenly weather department is of course
St. Peter.

And so it goes. If the children in a family become sufficiently interested in their big brothers and sisters, the saints, to start making such lists and finding out about the respective feast days, it is just as
if one of their grown-up sisters were getting married and the new in-laws taken into the family. Their birthdays and feast days are noted down, the enlargement of the family circle is celebrated, and this, each time, is a happy occasion.

While close relations are kept up with a great many of the saints, some of them are singled out by the Church to be celebrated in a special way. There is, for instance, St. John the Baptist, whose feast is celebrated on the twenty-fourth of June. We learn that as far back as the eighth century bonfires were being lit in honor of the precursor of Christ--the "Johannesfeuer"--as a special solemnity. In the old world, the young people of the villages and towns take kindling wood up the mountains or
outside of town to some beautiful spot on a river bank. Before it is lit a few words point out the significance of this fire at the height of the year, at the beginning of summer when the nights are shortest; and the symbolism of fire and light in relation to that radiant figure, the Baptist. "He was a burning and a shining light: and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light" (John 5:35). When the flames are leaping up, everybody present joins in singing one of the old songs of the occasion. When the fire is burning low, everyone leaps over it--boys and girls holding hands and leaping by twos. Then they settle down around the fire for the fire-watch until the last spark has died out.

Soon afterwards, on June 29th, we celebrate the feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. The badge of St. Peter is the cock, in memory of the "thrice-crowing" of that animal. As St. Peter is the "Great Fisherman," his feast day is celebrated in many seacoast towns with great festivity. Boats are decorated with garlands and ribbons. There are races, and the chief dish is fish, of course.

In our extensive traveling throughout many countries over three continents we have come across many a saint who is very famous locally but of whom we otherwise might never have heard. One day in the year is set aside to remember them all--the ones whose names are mentioned in the calendar and the multitudes who stand around the throne of God. This is All Saints' Day, on November 1st. In the Epistle, St. John tells us about the vision he had of the "great multitude which no man could number, of
all nations, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and in sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands," singing praise to God.

The teaching of Our Lord in the Gospels tells us what makes a saint a saint "Blessed are the meek...Blessed are they that mourn...Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice...Blessed are the merciful...Blessed are the clean of heart...Blessed are the peacemakers...Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake...." Nothing is so encouraging as to consider, on All Saints' Day,
those millions and millions around the throne of God who followed this teaching. Like St. Augustine before her, our Martina, when she was still quite little, said once on All Saints' Day, "As I think of it, Mother, if all those people could do it, why not we!"

Such a darling account!

Did you find your favorite saint here?

1 posted on 10/31/2008 10:14:19 PM PDT by Salvation

As Our Lord has said once that nothing unclean can enter the Kingdom of Heaven, most of the souls, after they leave the body in death, are not found ready and have to be purified in Purgatory from the last stain of sin.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I **respectfully** ask the following:

Is there any reference in the Bible for purgatory?

Since there are very few perfect Christians ( we must be perfected in Christ) I would think that Catholics would be terrified of death. Instead of peace in the arms of Jesus they would think they would be facing the suffering of purgatory.

2 posted on 10/31/2008 10:25:09 PM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are NOT stupid)

This thread is about All Saints Day. Not All Souls Day.

3 posted on 10/31/2008 10:28:39 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

4 posted on 10/31/2008 10:37:00 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

Here is a quiz from the Catholic Culture site:

Know Your Saints Quiz

1. I am the apostle to the Gentiles whose letters you read in the Bible.

2. I am the first American citizen to be canonized whose work among the immigrants gave me the title of 'Patron of All Immigrants.'

3. I am the Carmelite saint whose "Little Way" shows us how offering joys and sorrows daily can make us a great saint.

4. I am the foster father of Christ and the patron of a happy death.

5. I am the cousin of Jesus who prepared the way for the Lord.

6. I am the woman who offered my veil to wipe Jesus' face when He was carrying His cross.

7. I am the apostle chosen by Christ to be head of His Church.

8. I am the missionary who made Ireland famous for its piety and learning.

9. I am the beloved apostle and the writer of the fourth gospel.

10. I am the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose baby was Presanctified.

11. I am the patron saint of music because I sang the praises of God while I was cruelly put to death.

12. I am the modern day saint who chose martyrdom rather than to be impure.

13. I am the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus.

14. I am the valiant young girl who led France to victory over England and then suffered death by being burned at the stake.

15. I am the 'Little Poverino' whose order is now the largest in the world and who so resembled Christ in my life that I was privileged to bear His sacred wounds in my own body.

16. I am the 'Wonder Worker' of Padua and a Doctor of the Church.

17. I am the Patron saint of schools who was once called the Dumb Ox by my classmates but who wrote many treatises on the faith. My teacher was St. Albert the Great.

18. I am the saint who reformed the Carmelite Order and who became the first woman Doctor of the Church.

19. I am the simple parish priest who was tormented by the devil because my great sanctity brought my people closer to God.

20. I am the Visitation nun to whom Jesus appeared showing His Sacred Heart and to whom He delivered His message of love and plea for reparation.

Choices:

St. Peter	St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Anthony	St. Joan of Arc
St. Elizabeth	St. Anne
St. John the Baptist	St. John the Apostle
St. Margaret Mary	St. Patrick
St. Maria Goretti	St. Paul
St. Teresa of Avila	St. Cecilia
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton	St. John Vianney
St. Joseph	St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Francis Assisi	St. Veronica

* 20 point bonus for those who know the century in which their saint lived.

* 5 points for each piece of information you know about your saint.

5 posted on 10/31/2008 10:51:51 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

Very heartwarming. Real family fun, God centered.

6 posted on 10/31/2008 10:57:57 PM PDT by little jeremiah (Leave illusion, come to the truth. Leave the darkness, come to the light.)

Please allow me to respectfully add some scriptures to your post.

Philippians 1:1 ¶Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (All true believers in Jesus Christ are saints)

Job 15:15 Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. (God puts no trust in his saints. Neither should we.)

Acts 26:10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. (Saints aren’t perfect, just forgiven - some of them under pressure even blasphemed.)

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (We are not instructed to pray TO all saints, but FOR all saints.)

It all comes down to a misunderstanding of what a saint is. A saint is sanctified, set apart. Every true believer in Jesus Christ as the only mediator between God and man is sanctified and set apart as a saved child of God. This doesn’t make him perfect, but he is forgiven and reconciled to God by the death of Jesus Christ. Oh what a Saviour!!!

7 posted on 10/31/2008 11:21:38 PM PDT by jnwest

Is there any reference in the Bible for purgatory?

Is there any reference in the Bible for Sola Scriptura?

Purgatory isn't so much a place as a condition. Once bapitized, we receive new life is Christ; therefore, we cannot die. When our spirits leave our bodies, we go not to the place of the dead (Hades), but to our Lord in Heaven. Christ's death and resurrection pays our way, so to speak, cancelling out the guilt of our mortal sins. Few of us, however, are in a state of perfection when we die; even though we are saved from our sins themselves, we still bear upon ourselves the natural consequences of our sins — the stains upon our souls created by our sins. Since only that which is perfect can enter the Presence of God, these stains must be cleansed before we "arrive" in Heaven. As we approach the Almighty, the Force of His divine Love "burns away" these stains; the pain we experience in the process is real, but it is tempered by the joy we feel as we approach the Savior. Then, as the holy fire of the Lord purges us of our last links to sin and death, we enter His Presence, spotless.

Imagine a man who had led a good and holy life dies. He has loved Jesus, his neighbor, and his fellow man all his life, and has sacrificed everything for God, enduring great suffering in so doing. He goes to Heaven, right? Of course. Now imagine another man who has been evil for his entire life suddenly seeing the light while on his deathbed. He accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, is baptized, and dies. His soul goes to Heaven as well. Is it right that both men receive the same treatment in the afterlife? True, both are saved, but the formerly evil man still carries on his soul the damage done to it by every act of evil he ever did. It only makes sense that the formerly wicked man should be completely perfected before he sees the Face of God. That purification is called Purgatory.

I sometimes imagine that Purgatory will be something like a movie of my life on Earth, in which every detail of every sin will be relived in excruciating exactness. Every pain I caused to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, every time I insulted the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady, every time I disrespected the Saints, created scandal, or failed to love my neighbor will be experienced by me once more. I will be made to feel the pain of every person I used, hurt, or treated as less than human during my life. As I am drawn to the Savior in Heaven, the Light will become so bright that every stain on my soul will be revealed in its blinding light, and I will writhe in shame at my appearance in contrast to the perfection of our Lord.

And then a voice will say, "All these, I forgive. I give you new raiment, washed white as snow. Enter into the joy of the Lord, my son." The suffering will be over. With joy, I will release my stained garment and become perfect, as He is perfect.

8 posted on 10/31/2008 11:56:34 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)

Solemnity of All Saints

All Saints
Solemnity
November 1

Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven
Fra Angelico - 1428-30, Tempera on wood - National Gallery, London

"The glorious company of the apostles praise Thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise Thee.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise Thee.
All Thy saints and elect with one voice do acknowledge Thee,
O Blessed Trinity, one God!"
-- Feast of All Saints (November 1), Antiphon at Lauds. from the Te Deum
Prayers - Scripture Readings | Family Activities

Origin of All Saint's Day as a feast of the ChurchWhat makes this feast so important that the Church celebrates both the night before All Saints and the day after it?
The Church has always honored those early witnesses to the Christian faith who have died in the Lord. (The Greek word for "witness" is martyr.) During the first three hundred years Christians were serverly persecuted, often suffering torture and bloody death -- because they were faithful . They refused to deny Christ, even when this denial might have saved their own lives, or the lives of their children and families.
The early history of the Church is filled with stories of the heroic faith of these of witnesses to Christ's truth. The stories of these saints -- these baptized Christians of all ages and all states in life, whose fidelity and courage led to their sanctity or holiness -- have provided models for every other Christian throughout history.
Many of those especially holy people whose names and stories were known, the Church later canonized (that is, the Church formally recognized that the life of that person was without any doubt holy, or sanctified -- a "saint" who is an example for us.) The Church's calendar contains many saint's days, which Catholics observe at Mass -- some with special festivities.
But there were thousands and thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God -- and throughout the history of the Church there have been countless others who really are saints, who are with God in heaven, even if their names are not on the list of canonized saints.
In order to honor the memory -- and our own debt -- to these unnamed saints, and to recall their example, the Church dedicated a special feast day -- a sort of "memorial day" -- so that all living Christians would celebrate at a special Mass the lives and witness of those "who have died and gone before us into the presence of the Lord".
This feast that we know as All Saint's Day originated as a feast of All Martyrs, sometime in the 4th century. At first it was celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. It came to be observed on May 13 when Pope St. Boniface IV (608-615) restored and rebuilt for use as a Christian church an ancient Roman temple which pagan Rome had dedicated to "all gods", the Pantheon. The pope re-buried the bones of many martyrs there, and dedicated this Church to the Mother of God and all the Holy Martyrs on May 13, 610.
About a hundred years later, Pope Gregory III (731-741) consecrated a new chapel in the basilica of St. Peter to all saints (not just to the martyrs) on November 1, and he fixed the anniversary of this dedication as the date of the feast.
A century after that, Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the celebration of All Saints to November 1 for the entire Church.
The vigil of this important feast, All Saint's Eve, Hallowe'en, was apparently observed as early as the feast itself.
Ever since then -- for more than a millennium -- the entire Church has celebrated the feast of All Saints on November 1st, and, of course, Hallowe'en on October 31.
It is a principal feast of the Catholic Church. It is a holy day of obligation, which means that all Catholics are to attend Mass on that day.

Prayers, Scripture Readings for All SaintsCollect
[That the prayers of all the saints will bring us forgiveness for our sins]
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God,
today we rejoice in the holy men and women
of every time and place.
May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

or

[We rejoice and keep festival in honor of all the saints]
God our Father, source of all holiness,
the work of Your hands is manifest in Your saints, the beauty of
Your truth is reflected in their faith.

May we who aspire to have part in their joy
be filled with the spirit that blessed their lives,
so that having shared their faith on earth
may we also know their peace in your kingdom.

Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
First Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
I, John, saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads." And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen."

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every one who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure.

Gospel Reading:
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

All Saints is a Holy Day of Obligation. The principal activity for every Catholic family today is to go to Mass -- together, if possible. (Note Liturgical Calendar)Other family activities:

After school, read (re-read) to your children Saint John's vision of the Resurrection of the Saints that we heard at Mass today. It is from the Book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse), chapter 7:2-4, 9-14.
Have them draw pictures of the descriptions it contains. Michelangelo's famous painting of the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel was inspired by this scripture passage. Your refrigerator is not the Sistine Chapel, but it's a good place to display the kids' pictures!
Talk (or read) to your children about the saints they are named for. If you don't already have a good "age-appropriate" book to read from, prepare in advance by looking up the saint on this web site, or by reading from, say, Butler's Lives of the Saints, and tell them the story in your own words.
Have each child choose a favorite saint, and make a booklet of their own about the saint's life. See the saint pages on this web site.
Help them focus on how this saint gave an example of unusual courage, or devotion, or dedication to others, and how we can learn from their example.
Take the children to a religious goods shop and allow the children to look for a medal or small statue of their own patron saint, or another favorite saint, along with a prayer card for that saint to use for bed time prayers. Ask your parish priest to bless these images for the children. (They can give them to the priest themselves for the blessings.
Teach children the great hymn For All the Saints (here from The Adoremus Hymnal).

9 posted on 11/01/2008 12:48:39 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

To: Salvation; informavoracious; larose; RJR_fan; Prospero; Conservative Vermont Vet; ...

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Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment

Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”

10 posted on 11/01/2008 3:03:24 PM PDT by narses (http://www.theobamadisaster.com/)

To: narses; nickcarraway; Lady In Blue; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; Catholicguy; RobbyS; ...

Saint of the Day Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Saint of the Day Ping List.

11 posted on 11/01/2008 7:40:35 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

12 posted on 11/01/2008 7:48:23 PM PDT by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)

Could you make this a caucus PLEASE!
I’d just like to enjoy it without having to explain it.

13 posted on 11/01/2008 7:50:57 PM PDT by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)

On a slight tangent ...

The musical was cute, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer made a darling couple ...

But the REAL CAPT von Trapp was a hero and a man of great courage and integrity. I invite you (all) to get to know him before "The Sound of Music" ... as he served his country To the Last Salute".

14 posted on 11/01/2008 7:52:45 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)

To: netmilsmom; Religion Moderator

Sure, Religion Moderator, could you please add {Catholic/Orthodox Caucus] to the title?

Thanks, in advance.

15 posted on 11/01/2008 7:52:55 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

To: ArrogantBustard

Thanks for that link. I will check it out.

16 posted on 11/01/2008 7:55:02 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

Thanks so much!
Fantastic article, btw

17 posted on 11/01/2008 8:03:59 PM PDT by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)

To: ArrogantBustard

Thanks for that - I thought I had all of Maria von Trapp’s books - and books about her family, etc. - I never knew about this one - about Captain von Trapp.

I’ll check it out.

18 posted on 11/01/2008 8:11:09 PM PDT by MasonGal

I just thought it was so neat that the kids put together a list of saints (just in case.)

19 posted on 11/01/2008 8:16:19 PM PDT by Salvation ( Â†With God all things are possible.Â†)

To: MasonGal; Salvation

It's not just "about" CAPT von Trap.

He wrote it (in German); the volume I linked is translated by his granddaughter.

You won't see "TSoM", or the Trapp Family Singers in quite the same way. Georg was a man of steel.

20 posted on 11/01/2008 8:17:50 PM PDT by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)

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