Dear friends,
In the month of November, there are two occasions that the Church celebrates, which is All Saints Day and All Souls Day. The reason we have All Saints Day is because every day in the Church calendar has a saint day, but the Solemnity of All Saints is when the Church honors all saints, known and unknown. While we have information about many saints, and we honor them on specific days, there are many unknown or unsung saints, who may have been forgotten, or never been specifically honored. On All Saints Day, we celebrate these saints of the Lord, and ask for their prayers and intercessions. We believe that the saints of God are just as alive as you and I, and are constantly interceding on our behalf.
As for All Souls Day, it is a special day in the liturgical year that the Church sets aside to pray for the dead. But why pray for the dead? There is no need to pray for those who have died and gone straight to heaven. The feast presumes that some who die are imperfectly purified of their sinfulness, and while assured to eventual benefits of eternal life, are barred from immediate access to heaven. Instead, they are held in purgatory where they are cleansed of their sinfulness, and after an indeterminate time, are finally released to take their place in God’s Kingdom.
These two days, celebrated on November 1 and November 2 remind us that each of us is called to remember and pray for those who have gone before us. We have an important role to play in the salvation of the souls of our loved ones, as well as the souls of those whom have been forgotten. Our prayers and almsgiving have a direct impact on the fate of the dead whose souls have not been able to take their place in God’s throne. At the same time, we rejoice in the fact that in heaven, there are numerous saints who are applying their effort on our behalf, just as we are praying for the souls in purgatory. It is a circle of love and unity that expresses the deep connectedness of all of God’s creation both in heaven and on earth.
At the same time, we must remember that it is not just on these two feasts that we pray for the dead or that we ask the saints to intercede on our behalf. Rather, these feasts highlight our faith and encourage us to take these actions everyday so that the salvation of souls and that of our own soul is achieved.
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