There is a great mystery that we celebrate in November – the communion of saints and our unity, in the Church, with the souls in heaven, in purgatory and on earth.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) speaks about this mystery of our communion in the Body of Christ and the grace that flows from Christ the Head, as a treasury of grace.   

Paragraph 1474 notes: “The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of God’s grace is not alone.” This is because “the life of each of God’s children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ.” 

This “perennial link of charity” among the saints, the souls in purgatory and the people who are still on pilgrimage on earth includes an “abundant” and “wonderful exchange” in which “the holiness of one profits others.” (CCC, 1475)  

The Solemn Blessing at the closing of the Mass for All Saints recounts this in prayer, when it refers to the faithful has having been “freed” through the intercession of the saints “from present ills and formed by the example of their holy way of life” and “strengthened by means of their outstanding prayers.” 

What a joy to think of how the saints help us!  

For example, in her Diary, St. Faustina records Jesus saying: “You are not living for yourself but for souls, and other souls will profit from your sufferings. Your prolonged suffering will give them the light and strength to accept my will.” (Diary, Notebook 1, 67)

Surely, St. Faustina’s choice to carry out God’s will brought the grace of Christ to souls, perhaps even our own, to also do the will of the Father.

November is a good time to remember the communion of saints and to give thanks for the saints whose sacrifice and prayers have enriched and inspired our lives.

The Catechism calls the “spiritual goods of the communion of saints” the “Church’s treasury.” It is the “infinite value, which can never be exhausted, which Christ’s merits have before God.” (CCC, 1476) 

The treasury includes the “prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” those of the saints and followers of Christ who “by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission the Father entrusted to them.” (CCC, 1477)

This is our call, too, to carry out the mission the Father entrusts to us, a mission that includes receiving the grace of God and being instruments of grace for others.

Our good deeds, prayers and sufferings take on new meaning and value when we unite them to Christ’s own gift of Himself to the Father. Consecrating ourselves to Jesus through Mary is a powerful means of giving all we have to build up the Body of Christ. 

We don’t have to have it all together before we can bring spiritual relief to others. Our daily choices to receive grace and do good to others have the power, by God’s grace, to make a great impact.

Let us make time to consider how we will add to the treasury of the Church, making our lives a gift of self for others.

As the bishops of the United States gather for their annual meeting in November, let us be generous with our prayers for them. Let us ask God to give them abundant grace to shepherd souls into the communion of saints.

As November is a month set apart to intercede for souls most in need of God’s mercy and the souls in purgatory, let us pray for them.

As we recall our own need for purification, we can take comfort remembering that Christ Himself intercedes for us before the Father, especially at Holy Mass. We can call on the Holy Spirit to intercede for us and within us, to help us pray as we ought. (Romans 8:26-27) 

Like the first Pentecost, there is no one better than Our Lady to accompany us in our prayer. In a special way, her love for sinners reaches to and unites heaven, purgatory and earth.   

Let us ask Mary to intercede for us, that we may receive the graces the Lord wants to give us for the good of souls. 

Sister John Paul Maher, OP, is principal of Worthington St. Michael School and a member of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.