As we approached our fun filled evenings of family, food, and fun I wanted to share a bit...
As we look around us, we see nothing but orange and black, candies of all kinds, pumpkins and skulls, and a costume for any character imaginable...our fine retailers using every marketing opportunity to sell us another product, but there is more than these things. How can we as Christians grow in our faith and help our children to do the same amidst the ghosts and goblins? The answer is simple...celebrate and remember.
This time of year can be used to focus on our mortality and our need to prepare ourselves to one day see our God's face. From dust we came and to dust we will return, but our salvation is eternal, our focus is beyond this earth and should be beyond these earthly things. November 1st is the feast day of All Saints Day, a day set forth to honour and remember all of the saints that have gone on before us. Remembering the men and women, known and unknown, that died for the sake of Christ and remembering those close to us who are with our Lord in heaven.
Why November? In early Christianity, ceremonies were held to commemorate a martyr's death, usually, at the place of martyrdom. In the 4th century, around the time of the compilation of scripture into a bible, surrounding dioceses began to share these ceremonies and started sharing relics of saints with one another to further promote unity in the Christian Church. This can be found in an invitation from St. Basil of Caesarea, in the year 397, to the bishops of the province of Pontus (a people that were also addressed by St. Peter's 1st epistle among others). Anyway, quite often people suffered their martyrdom at the same time which further let to a combined commemoration.
During the persecution of the Church by Diocletian, one of the most evil roman emperors to persecute early Christians, the number of martyrs who died were many and there was no way that a commemoration could be assigned to individuals. The Church still felt that it was important to venerate every martyr for Christ however, so they created one day to honour all. First, traces can be found in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost and we also find traces in a sermon that St. Ephrem gave around 373 and in the 74th sermon given by St. John Chrysostom in the year 407 as well. Originally commemoration of martyrs and St. John the Baptist took place on a special day, but then many other saints were added as the process of canonization was established. The time frame was during the time of Easter, and also in May to commemorate the apostles, but when Gregory the 3rd (8th century) consecrated a chapel in the Basilica of St. Peter to all of the saints, he set the anniversary for Nov.1 and then Gregory the 4th expanded that celebration throughout the rest of the Church in the 9th century.
So now in 2009, about 1,200 years later, we can take a break from the candy and costumes and remember why this day came about. Saints are those who are in heaven right now and we all have someone who we have lost, that we believe is with Jesus in heaven. So take time to focus on the work that God did in their lives and how they were used for His kingdom. Take the time to teach your kids about just one of the many saints God has used in history...there are thousands to pick from. I heard an interesting perspective while at Mass this evening. The lives of these great men, women and children, who we honour, can benefit us a great deal. We have a 'cloud of witnesses'', working for God as perfect beings, to view as our spiritual mentors. We must remember that these great saints aren't saints because of what they did, but because of what they allowed God to do in them. Just as history teaches us of war and of invention, it also teaches us of the greatness of God shown forth in mere humans and if we humble ourselves to that, we can allow God to work in us...so that we may be saints one day.
God Bless and Happy All Saints Day!
Almighty and Everlasting God, who dost enkindle the flame of Thy love in the hearts of the saints,
grant unto us the same faith and power of love; that, as we rejoice in their triumphs
we may profit by their examples, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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