November 1 and November 2

All Souls' Day

From Deacon Dick~

This year we observe the Solemnity of All Saints on Saturday, November 1 and The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day) on Sunday, November 2.

All Saints

          This day began in the early Christian centuries as a “catchall” … a way to remember martyrs whose names were not known and who did not have their own festivities.  Early on it was known as the Feast of All Martyrs.  But devotion to saints who were not martyrs was also popular.  Until the 5^th century, saints were honored only in the community where they lived or died.  As these devotions became more widespread, the Church changed the name of the day to the Feast of All Saints in the 11^th century.

The word “saint” comes from the Latin meaning “one who is holy or set apart.”  So how do you and I participate in this “sainthood”?  The Church teaches that “all baptized Christians receive a vocation to holiness” … a vocation to follow Christ … a call to actively serve in God’s Church and in our neighborhoods!  So congratulations on your Feast Day as one “set apart” to BE God’s peace in the worlds in which you live!

All Souls

Jesus saw death as more than a way of getting from one place to another.  He saw death as potentially fruitful in itself … as a passage into eternal peace and joy.

Author Henri Nouwen relates that the real question for us is not how much more we can accomplish … not how we can avoid being a burden to others.  The real question is:  How can I live so that my death might be fruitful for others?  In other words, how can my death be a gift for my loved ones so they can reap the benefits of my life after I’ve died?

And so as we pray for our deceased loved ones, we ask ourselves: What fruits did they leave you?  What gifts did they pass on to you in your DNA?  What experiences did they sow in your life that still bear fruit today?  AND what seeds are you sowing in the lives of your loved ones that will bear fruit long after you’ve arrived?