THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS & ALL SOULS
At the end of this week we have two feasts the feast of All Saints on Friday and the feast of All Souls on the Saturday. On November 1st the Church celebrates all the saints: and the great multitude of those who are in heaven enjoying the beatific vision that are only known to God. During the early centuries the Saints venerated by the Church were all martyrs. Later the 1st November was set as the day for commemorating all the Saints. We all have this “universal call to holiness.” What must we to do in order to join the company of the saints in heaven? We “must follow Jesus footsteps and try to conform ourselves to His image as we seek to do the will of the Father in all things. In this way, the holiness of the People of God will grow into an abundant harvest of good, as is admirably shown by the life of so many saints in Church history” (Lumen Gentium) The feast of All Saints should inspire us with tremendous hope.
Among the saints in heaven are some people whom we have known such as Pope Saint John Paul or Padre Pio who both lived in the last 100 years. Padre Pio died in 1968 and of course John Paul died in 2005. But there are so many ordinary people who show us how to be saints by the way they lead their lives and we try to follow their example as well. After rejoicing with the saints in heaven on November 2nd we pray for all those souls who in the purifying suffering of purgatory await the day when they will join the company of saints. in a special Part of the eucharistic prayer the priest remembers all those who have fallen asleep in the Lord, the priest implores God to grant them a place of happiness, light and peace. In a special way we remember our families and friends who have passed on and we also remember all those who have died whoever they are throughout the whole month of November which is known as the month of the Holy Souls. So at the end of this week we pray with the saints in heaven as we remember all who have died may they rest in the peace of the kingdom of God.
Fullerton T 