Faith and the Militant Church

When our physical entities cease to function, our soul separates from it, we call this death. The souls who go to Heaven belong to the Triumphant Church. They are the saints who continue to pray for us as our intercessors. There are souls who need to be purified. They are the holy souls in purgatory; they belong to the Suffering Church. Purgatory is God’s mercy. The souls there long to be with God. We extend our help by praying for them. As for us living in this world, we belong to the Militant Church. We pray and help each other while seeking the will of God. Truly, all of us, including the ones mentioned above belong to one family of God.
As children of God, we need to use the gift of freedom to make us more worthy of a human person, pleasing to God. It is also wise to stay close to the Lord, our Father, for He is eternal. Finally, the Church aids us in our sojourn in life. The Sacraments we receive punctuate our life from beginning till the end. What a manifestation of God’s love to us! When we frequent the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we receive graces necessary for us to live a holy life.
When the late U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf, who led the coalition forces in the liberation of Kuwait and defeated the Iraqi forces in the first Gulf War was invited to address the graduating class of West Point Academy, he made it short by highlighting the greatest and the most important lesson he learned from the Academy as a cadet himself, “No excuse, sir!”
Now you know.