Picture this with me: More than a decade ago, I’m sitting at a crowded bar, and this guy who I’ve just met (who, by the way, has whiskers and a nose drawn on his face), is chattering away, sloshing his beer about clumsily. But instead of talking about himself, he spends most of our time together pointing around the bar, and telling me stories about each of his buddies and listing all the quirky characteristics that endear each one of them to him.

On November 2, we celebrate the Commemoration of All Souls Day. The Church calls us to pray for the souls in purgatory awaiting sanctification. This is the day that the Church Militant — the faithful on earth — can assist the Church Suffering  — souls in purgatory  — through offered prayers, sacrifices, and Mass.

Autumn’s beauty invites a Catholic reflection on mortality, hope, and eternal life. Weaving Scripture (Genesis 3:19), the Catechism (1020), and cultural touchstones like Anne of Green Gables and The Song of Bernadette, this piece reframes “remember your death” as a call to prayer, the sacraments, and renewal — showing why October’s melancholy points us toward Heaven.

One of the most challenging aspects of living with a chronic illness is that I don’t look sick. I’m not observably sick. To another’s eye, I look perfectly healthy. Over the years, this has made day-to-day living an emotional battle.

Where were you on May 8?

I was working at home, as per usual, and my husband was out running errands. He texted “White Smoke!” My first thought was “Already?”

Saint Luke the Evangelist's feast day is celebrated annually on October 18. In his Gospel account and in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke chronicled Jesus' earthly ministry and the evangelization efforts of the early Church. I had no idea that during a lectio divina prayer session about a year ago, I'd feel a strong connection to Luke’s experiences as a chronicler of the Good News.