Don't forget the forgotten

Why a pilgrimage through Poland taught me praying for the dead and standing with today’s persecuted is the call of every Catholic man.

Grace and peace be with you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7

Each November we begin with the celebration of All Saints followed by All Souls. This year the liturgical season touches my heart more deeply than ever, for it recalls the pilgrimage I made to Poland with Jeff Cavins, walking among that country’s holy men and women.

Arriving a day early, we first entered the shrine of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, a modern martyr who willingly offered his life for the Gospel. Our next stop was Niepokalanów, where St Maximilian Kolbe founded his community and lived the heroic charity of taking another’s place in Auschwitz—an act that still resounds as the supreme witness to Christ’s love. As we stood on the very ground where he exchanged his life for a fellow prisoner, the words of the Gospel rang clear:

“Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

The memory of Auschwitz inevitably leads us to All Souls Day. In that one place, countless lives were extinguished, and the war that surrounded it claimed even more. It raises a painful question: How many souls now die without anyone’s prayer, especially those whose families have drifted from the faith?

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Recent statistics reveal the scale of contemporary martyrdom: from 2001 to 2010 an average of 100 000 martyrs per year were recorded worldwide. Jeff Cavins, in his daily reflections on Hallow, draws particular attention to the persecution unfolding in Nigeria, urging us to bring those suffering and dying for the faith into the light of our prayers.

There is no shortage of souls who need our intercession. As we pray, we must ask the Lord how He wishes us to be saints today. Sometimes holiness is found in the simplest gesture—sharing a cup of coffee with a brother and testifying to the work of Christ in our lives.

Let us also recall the inspiring words of St John Paul II (a great polish saint) on the day of his election:

“Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To His saving power, open the boundaries of states, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization, and development.” General Audience, 15 Nov 1978

May this call to holiness move us to pray fervently for the departed, to support the living who suffer for the faith, and to open every possible avenue for the Gospel to reach the 5.9 billion souls still awaiting Christ.

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A display of the shoes collected at Auschwitz

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