November 4, 2009

• Communion of Saints Project

  I've been trying to think of a project to do with the boys this month explaining the Communion of Saints and praying for the holy souls in purgatory since it is the month of November and we just celebrated All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  I came across a few blogs with ideas that were wonderful and combined some of the ideas into our own project.  So a huge thank to Anne and Jen for their inspiring ideas.

  I think it is very important for the boys to learn about the Church Millitant (us on Earth), the Church Suffering (Souls in purgatory) and the Church Triumphant (those in Heaven).  I think learning the correlation between the three and how everyone is tied together is imporant, but not always something easily grasped by kids.  Well, I finally figured it out and after todays project I don't think they'll forget for awhile (plus it's all hanging on the wall now to look at often).

  I spent last night and then this morning finding and printing pictures of various saints, the Holy Trinity, Blessed Mother, angels, JPII, Benedict XVI and holy men and women who've died recently (Mother Teresa, Solanus Casey, Andre Bessette), as well as family pictures both living and deceased.  A another huge thanks to my Dad who spent time sending me photos of his father and grandparents as well as my mom's parents for me to use.  I still need a few photos from Brad's side of the family, but I wanted to get the project at least started and on the wall.

  I then arranged them according to where they belonged (Church Militant, Church Suffering and Church Triumphant) and added scripture passages (Thanks Anne) as well as the Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great.  I must say I am very happy with how it turned out.  It wasn't exactly as I'd envisioned it in my mind, but Grant reminded me that nothing ever is.  Such a wise young man.

  

  At the top I have a picture of the Holy Trinity surrounded by angels praising God.  Below that is the Blessed Mother and various saints that we have a special love for or children are named after.  All in the Church Triumphant.  I then used cotton balls to make clouds to separate them from the Church Suffering where I put photos of our deceased relatives and holy men and women such as JPII, Mother Teresa, Solanus Casey.  I then made flames out of construction paper to separate them from the Church Militant.  For the bottom section I put photos of family members...all the kids, grandparents, Pope Benedict and our own parish priest.  I included a picture of a priest holding up the Eucharist during Mass since our prayers at Mass are so special for those in purgatory.

  For each section I included an explaination and scripture.  I took a lot of what Anne had on her site and changed it around a little to fit our own project.

  At the very top I added the following: 

  The Church comprises of three parts which make up the complete Body of Christ or Communion of Saints.  Death does not separate us, as Our Lord said Himself, (Mark 12: 26-27) "As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, 'I am the God of Abraham, (the) God of Isaac, and (the) God of Jacob'? 27 He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled."

  The complete Church supports each other by prayer and sacrifice.

  -------------------------------

  I then broke the rest of the text up as follows:

  The Church Triumphant

  This is the Church of saints in heaven and we celebrate these members on the feast of All Saints. They do not need our prayers, but the Church Suffering and the Church Militant are in need of their intercessory prayer. Hebrews (12:1-2) tells us: “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [saints], let us lay aside every earthly care and … run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith …”

   

  First Peter (3:12) and James (5:16) remind us: "For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer.."  "...A good man's prayer is powerful and effective."

   

  We do not intercede to dead people, (dead in the sense they are damned, lost souls) we pray to the living saints of God who are now completely righteous through God's saving grace, as the Bible quote from Mark's Gospel reminds us.

  The Church Suffering

  These are souls who have been saved but upon death, were not completely freed from smaller sins and failings.  Revelations (21:27) tells us: "Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life."

   

  Our understand of purgatory comes from First Corinthians (3:12-15): "Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. "

   

  The Holy Souls are blessed, they have the assurance of their salvation, but they are suffering as they do penance for the sins they committed on earth that they did not make full atonement for.  They are helpless.  They cannot help themselves to pass through this place of suffering, faster than expected.  They rely on our prayers and sacrifices. While they cannot help themselves, they can pray for us in thanksgiving, especially once they have entered their blessed homeland ~ heaven.

   

  Church Militant

  This is everyone living upon earth striving for salvation (ourselves, family, friends): Philippians (2:12) "Why, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

  "The Latin word militans has a primary meaning of "serving as a soldier, military", but it acquired a secondary meaning of "to struggle, to make an effort", which is the intended sense here. Christians on earth (the Church Militant) are still struggling against sin in order that, when they die, they might go to heaven and be members of the Church Triumphant, those who have triumphed over sin. However, if this struggle is successful, but not completely so, then after death they temporarily become members of the Church Suffering before ultimately joining the Church Triumphant."

  We are able to pray for ourselves as the passages from Peter and James reminded us.  The offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on earth for people on earth and for the Holy Souls. We also pray for priests (spiritual motherhood) and for religious. They in turn pray mightily for the whole world and are that powerful human arm of prayer and sacrifice that often holds back God's Divine arm of justice that weighs heavily over us. (We read about that in particular in the Diary of St Faustina). Our Lady of Fatima reminded us that "some souls go to Hell because they have no one to pray for them."   We can also pray for the Holy Souls suffering in purgatory. We too rely on the intercessory prayers of the saints in heaven and also the Holy Souls who finally enter the Church Triumphant.

  This is the mystical body of Christ.

   

  Then at the very bottom I added the Prayer of St. Gertude the Great.  We are working on memorizing this prayer this month.

  Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen
  
  

  • 9:40 pm
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