Return to The Reign of Mary No. 174
The Reign of Mary
No. 174: Letter from the Editor
November 21, 2019
Presentation of Our Lady
Dear Friends in Our Lady,
Praised be Jesus and Mary. It was wonderful to see so many of you at our annual Fatima Conference. Once again, the Conference was a time of wonderful spiritual blessings, with the many Masses, lectures, outdoor candlelight procession and other events. Let us always remember the importance of Our Lady’s message and strive daily to put it into practice.
Now, as I write, we are in the midst of the month of November, when we increase our prayers and suffrages for the Poor Souls in purgatory. We especially seek to take advantage of the rich indulgences offered by Holy Mother the Church during this month. This charity toward the faithful departed is even more important now than in the past, since these suffering souls are all but forgotten by the vast majority of men.
But there is another benefit from our prayers for the faithful departed (especially during November), and that is that our thoughts are directed to the important truths of eternity. By seriously reflecting upon the Four Last Things we are inspired to amend our lives that we might not lose our immortal souls. As Saint Augustine puts it: “Often go down to hell in thought, that you might not have to go there in reality.” And Jesus Himself teaches: “What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” All other business pales in comparison to the great business of saving our immortal souls.
At this time of year I recommend the reading of a book on purgatory, such as Purgatory Illustrated by the Lives and Legends of the Saints by Fr. F. X. Schouppe, SJ, or the book The Four Last Things: Death, Judgment, Hell, Heaven by Fr. Martin von Cochem, OSFC. The reading of books like these opens our minds to the gravity of the work of our salvation and inspires us to live a God-centered life, avoiding the spirit of the world and all occasions of sin.
Finally, let us also recall the important of spending the holy season of Advent well, in preparation for Christmas. How sad that so many have made this beautiful season a time for purely secular enjoyments, utterly devoid of spiritual worth. They forget the reason for our joy at this time of year—God’s gift to us of His only-begotten Son to be our Redeemer. May we grow daily in our love and appreciation of all that Jesus has done for our salvation!
In Jesus and Mary,
Fr. Benedict Hughes, CMRI (Email)