Guest Blogger: Rachel Watkins...

Some thoughts from Rachel:

"Long time ago, the Men of the Mountain swore an oath to the last king of Gondor to come to his aid to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire they fled vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. So Islidur cursed them never to rest until they fulfilled their pledge." - Legolas. The Return of the King, as they enter Dwimorberg, the Haunted Mountains to gain the help of the Army of the Dead.

Our family has a great devotion to the Holy Souls of Purgatory, and as we pass any cemetery we always say, "Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine on their souls and all the souls of the faithfully departed. May the souls of the faithfully departed rest in peace, especially those that have no one to pray for them and those that have been forgotten."

With the upcoming election on my mind, it struck me that these souls, the souls in Purgatory know better than we the power of one vote. They know from their lives already lived, the result of their action - or inaction. I wondered to myself if any of them are waiting to see God, fulfilling their obligation in Purgatory due to a vote they did or did not cast.

I then thought of them as an army of souls waiting for a mission - much like the Men of the Mountain from The Return of the King. They would welcome a chance to fulfill their oath, see the face of God, given a new mission to fulfill. So, I recruited them.

With the Feast of All Souls (and Saints) coinciding with this most important election I thought that we might storm the gates of heaven with the soul of purgatory for this election. Perhaps they will tip the balance, so to speak, just as they did in the movie. Perhaps they will be able to clear the path to the White House just as they cleared the White City. With this army of believers, together with our own efforts, may God's will be done.

Perhaps our family's could join in praying the following:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus "