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Praying for the dead and the bereaved

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI

“Remembering the dead, caring for their graves and prayers of suffrage, are the testimony of confident hope, rooted in the certainty that death does not have the last word on human existence, for man is destined to a life without limits, which has its roots and its fulfillment in God” (Pope Francis).

November is a time when we remember and pray, not only for our loved ones who have gone before us and whose loss we feel, but for all those who have departed from this world and for those who grieve for them – “even those who no one remembers” (Pope Francis) .
Our Church teaches that praying for the dead is a spiritual work of mercy. Many of you would have cleaned the graves of your loved ones who have passed; and would have commemorated All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day.

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On our journey to sainthood

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI

“Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.” -St Augustine of Hippo

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints; the day when we commemorate all the saints of the Church.
We live in a world in which secularism is becoming more and more prominent. If we love God, if we say that we are Jesus’ disciples, then we will follow in His footsteps. Get to know Him by serving Him—with love.
Our Scriptures clearly outline the kind of values and virtues that will help us to become more like our Lord if these underpin our lives.

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Comforting those who mourn

By Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ & Director, CREDI

 “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come”—Rabindranath Tagore

November is the month dedicated to those who have died. November 2, All Souls’ Day, is commemorated the day after All Saints’ Day.
One of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to pray for the dead and entrust them to God’s mercy. We pray, offer alms, and Masses for the release of the souls in Purgatory. We pray that all those who have died will rest in the bosom of our Lord as saints.

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Dare to be saints

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. From an early age, we Catholics learned what our role in life should be. During First Communion lessons, when the Catechism teacher asked: “Why did God make you?” The entire class would reply: “God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.”

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Don’t be afraid to be saints

Leela Ramdeen
Leela Ramdeen

by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, Catholic Commission for Social Justice (CCSJ)

After delivering a lecture in London earlier this year, I was given a gift of some booklets published by the Catholic Truth Society; one of which was entitled: Don’t be afraid to be Saints.

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