For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest

Homily for the Solemnity of All Saints

All Saints Day is celebrated throughout the entire world although not necessarily on November 1. From the fourth century, feasts commemorating all Christian martyrs were held in various places and on various dates near Easter and Pentecost. In the ninth century, All Saints Day was celebrated on November 1 in certain churches in Great Britain, and it was Pope Gregory IV who extended that practice to the entire Catholic church. While the Eastern churches still hold the feast close to that of Pentecost, the Western world has adopted November 1 and November 2 to remember all the unnamed saints and faithful departed.

In Austria and Bavaria, it is customary for godfathers to give their godchildren a loaf of yeasted, braided bread on November 1. In Belgium and France, it is a public holiday which includes decorating the family graves with chrysanthemums. In Germany, this day is considered a day of silence (“stiller Tag”) in which all public entertainments are shuttered. In Poland, the celebration begins with the family cleaning up the graves of their departed relatives and continues with the lighting of candles and offerings of flowers. The Spanish-speaking countries of the world pay more attention to November 2, but it is really a two-day festival including All Saints Day and the commemoration of the faithful departed.

In our own country, November 1 and November 2 do not play a large role in the secular world. However, in the church, we remember all who have gone before us with a solemn liturgy. The traditional Gospel reading for this day features the Beatitudes. We have all heard these verses so frequently that we run the risk of losing their importance. Our Holy Father Pope Francis refers to the Beatitudes as the Christian identity card. We all know the importance of an ID, especially a passport that allows us to travel from one country to another. Loss of our ID can create real headaches for all of us. The holy father says that the Beatitudes identify us as followers of Christ. So today would be a good day to ask ourselves the question whether we are “happy” or “blessed” in our Christian identity. Pope Francis goes on to say that if there is one common element in the life of every saint it is the fact that they are genuinely happy. Like a passport, the Beatitudes also tell us of our homeland, our destination in this journey we call life.

Pope Francis also gives us a challenge.  He has written: “We ought to be able to recognize and respond to new situations with fresh spiritual energy,” the energy that comes from a life lived with the Beatitudes as our guide. As we remember all the Saints who have gone before us, having lived life fully and served their brothers and sisters with charity, let us be sure not to lose our Christian identity card, our passport to heaven.