All Saints and All Souls – Oct 30
The feast days of All Saints – November 1 and All Souls – November 2 are important days in the lives of Catholics. These days help us to reflect on the lives of those who have lived interesting lives on earth and are now with God, our Blessed Mother and the angels in Paradise.
ALL SAINTS DAY
When we think of saints, we form a picture of men and women who lived extraordinary and impossible lives. This is not really so. Saints are people just like us. They lived ordinary lives and struggled with ordinary problems. What made them saints was not their unblemished lives but their clear and unwavering focus on God and His people and their daily attempts to grow in faith, virtue and goodness. They are our brothers and sisters calling us to be like them.
Canonised Saints made mistakes, failed, sinned, experienced discouragement and depression and struggled with relationships just like we do. What helped them through was their choice to pattern their lives on Jesus and the Gospel. They show us that we do not have to go far to find the path to holiness. It runs right through the circumstances of our daily lives. They teach us in words and actions how to look beyond human sins and weaknesses and see the Holy Spirit at work.
Saints who once lived on this earth, and those who are living among us, demonstrate that sainthood is more attainable than we think. They deal with others gently rather than violently, they share generously, they forgive others their failings, they suffer silently and often put others before themselves. Humility, willingness to work for justice, forgiveness and peaceful solutions are qualities they display.
As we commemorate the Feast of All Saints, let us give thanks to God for all our saints. We hope to join them one day.
ALL SOULS DAY
All Souls Day is the day when we remember the faithful departed. This feast day is observed principally by Catholics although Anglicans also celebrate it. Recalling our departed loved ones would bring us nothing but sadness. But as Christians, we know that this feeling should not overwhelm us as God is inviting us to put aside our sadness and share in His joy. Wisdom 3:1-9 tell us that all those who have left this world in the friendship of God are in the hands of a loving Father. They are at peace now because they can live with God forever.
We should not let this day pass by without taking some time to remember our family members, friends and acquaintances who are no longer with us. We should also take time to recall all the pleasant occasions spent together. Let us thank God for bringing them into our lives.
To commemorate this day we light candles at home and at the cemetery in memory of the faithful departed. Relatives and friends also offer Holy Mass and other prayers for those who may be in purgatory. As we pray for those who have passed from this life, let us look and see whether we are being the kind of person God yearns for us to become. It is a time to look around at the persons in our life and see if we have loved them well enough. It is a sobering time to remember that one day we too, will leave this life and travel on to the next.
All Saints and All Souls days help us to pause and look at the way we live and see whether we are preparing for life after death. – Ruby Nelson for Archdiocesan Catechetical Office