We all desire, particularly in times of sorrow, to have loving friends. The Catholic doctrine of the communion of saints teaches us that we can have many good friends at all times. The word "communion," as we use it in this connection, has nothing to do with Holy Communion. It means "society" or "union." And the word "saints" does not mean merely those who are in heaven with God. It means all who are joined to Christ by sanctifying grace. In a word, the Catholic doctrine of the communion of saints means that we have millions of friends, bound to us by the supernatural ties of sanctifying grace and divine charity flowing from Jesus Christ, the Head of this society.
These friends are: first, those living on earth with sanctifying grace and charity in their souls; these make up the Church militant, so called because its members are still engaged in the spiritual warfare against the world, the flesh and the devil, hoping to be victorious and to win the crown of eternal life; second, the souls in purgatory - those who have left this world in the state of grace but must still make atonement to God for a debt of temporal punishment; these make up the Church suffering; third, the saints in heaven, called the Church triumphant, because they have won the victory and are now enjoying their triumph with God for all eternity.
These friends aid us in our needs, especially our spiritual necessities. There are many devout persons on earth who pray for us every day, even though we have never met them. The saints in heaven, particularly those to whom we pray, aid us also by their prayers. Above all, the Mother of God, the Queen of Saints, is praying for us before the throne of her Son, because she loves every soul for which He died, since she loves Him so much. The souls in purgatory probably pray for us also, although this is not entirely certain. The Church never prays publicly to the suffering souls, asking for their prayers, but she allows her members to do this privately, if they wish.
There are millions of saints in heaven, but only certain ones have been canonized, or officially declared by the Church to be in heaven. When the Church canonizes a saint, we have absolute certainty that this person is in heaven, for the Church is infallible in canonizations. We can also be sure that baptized children who die before they reach the age of reason - perhaps members of our own family - are in heaven, and we can invoke them in our private devotions. The saints in heaven help in a particular way those who were dear to them in life and those who ask their prayers.
But if the communion of saints brings us advantages, it also brings us obligations. We should pray to our friends, the saints in heaven; we should pray for our friends, the souls in purgatory. Toward those members of the communion of saints who are still in this world we must exercise charity, not only by praying for them but also by assisting them whenever they are in need either of body or of soul, especially through the corporal and spiritual works of mercy We must not consider their natural traits, which may be unpleasant, but must rather view them as sharers in the divine life that flows from Christ, and as persons who are destined to be our companions for all eternity in His kingdom. If we put into practice in this manner the doctrine of the communion of saints, we shall never be lonely or sad, even though all our worldly friends turn against us.
RESOLUTION: Resolve to remember the suffering souls in purgatory after every Holy Communion, especially the souls of your deceased relatives and friends.