The invisible unity of the Church has many visible manifestations. A privileged moment of this unity takes place in the sacrament which is called Communion, in that august Sacrifice which is one in all the earth. One is the Priest who offers it, one is the Victim, one is the people who also offer it, one is the God to whom it is offered, one is the result of the offering: Because the bread is one, we are many, one body, for we all partake of this one bread. Just as this bread was yesterday still a handful of loose grains, so Christians, in the measure of their union with Christ, are fused into one body, even though they come from quite different places and conditions. "In the sacrament of the Eucharistic bread," affirms the Second Vatican Council, "the unity of the faithful is represented and reproduced. It is "the sacrament of charity," which calls for union among the brethren.
It is also a truth of faith that this communion of spiritual goods exists among the faithful who constitute the Church triumphant, purgative and militant. We can entrust ourselves to and receive help from the saints (canonized or not) who are already in Heaven, from the angels, from the souls still purifying themselves in Purgatory (whom we can help to lighten their burden from earth) and from our brothers and sisters who, like us, are on pilgrimage towards the definitive homeland.
When we fulfill the pious duty of praying and offering suffrages for the deceased, we should especially keep in mind those with whom we had the strongest ties on earth: parents, siblings, friends, etc. They count on our prayers. They count on our prayers. Holy Mass is also the most important suffrage we can offer for the deceased.
The doctrine of indulgences is based on this dogma of the Communion of Saints. In them, the Church administers with authority the graces obtained by Christ, the Virgin and the Saints; under certain conditions, she uses these graces to satisfy for the punishment due for our sins and also for what must be satisfied by the souls who are in Purgatory.
The doctrine about this exchange of spiritual goods should be for us a great stimulus to fulfill our duties faithfully, to offer to God all our works, and to pray with devotion, knowing that all our labors, sicknesses, adversities and prayers constitute a formidable help for others. Nothing that we do with right intention is lost. If we lived this reality of our faith better, our life would be full of fruit.
"A thought that will help you, in difficult moments: the more I increase my faithfulness, the better I will contribute to the growth of others in this virtue. -And it is so appealing to feel supported by one another.
It can help us to live better this day to remember that someone is interceding for us at this moment, and that someone is waiting for our prayer to get out of a bad situation, or to decide to follow the Lord more closely.