By Sr Lini Sheeja MSC.
God in His goodness created human beings in His own image and likeness with love and for love. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jer 31:3). The Creator loves every human being with everlasting love as He redeemed us through His only Son and sanctified us by His Spirit. As we are celebrating All Saints Day on 1 November, it’s good to recognize who these saints are. “Saints are only sinners who keep trying,” said St Mother Teresa who responded to the call of holiness. Every man/woman created in God’s image is called to holiness; in other words sainthood is a call given to everyone as we journey here on earth.
Saints According to the Catholic Church
According to the Catholic Church, a saint is anyone in Heaven. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a Great Cloud of Witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run…” (Hebrews 12:1). This reminds us that the Church is holy and she can never stop being holy and is called to show the holiness of God by living the life of Christ.In Roman Catholicism, a saint is a holy person who is known for his or her “heroic sanctity” and who is thought to be in heaven. A saint displayed these qualities in a consistent and exceptional way during their life on earth.
Conviction on Connectedness
The Christian festival of All Saints Day comes from a conviction that there is a spiritual connection between those in Heaven and those on Earth. In Catholic tradition, this holiday honours all those who have passed on to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a national holiday historically in numerous Catholic countries. All Saints Day annually reminds us of our connectedness as Christians. It’s commemorated on November 1st every year. Perhaps, as children we thought of saints as statues in a church building. But the Bible teaches something completely different. (Acts 9:13, 26:10, Romans 8:27, and 1Cor 1:2).The 4th century Apostles’ Creed expresses it as belief in the communion of Saints, which certain Christian churches interpret as supporting the intercession of saints. Although millions or even billions of people may already be saints, All Saints Day observances tend to focus on known saints – that is, those recognized in the Canon of the Saints by the Catholic Church.
Origin
While now observed in November, All Saints Day was originally celebrated on May 13. Pope Boniface IV formally started a practice on May 13 in 609 AD which would later be known as All Saints Day when he dedicated the Pantheon in Rome as a church in honour of the Virgin Mary and all Martyrs.The current date of November 1 was established by Pope Gregory III during his reign (731-741 AD) when he dedicated a chapel in Rome’s St Peter’s Basilica in honour of all Saints. While this celebration was originally limited to Rome, later in 837 Pope Gregory IV ordered the official observance of All Saints Day every November 1 and extended its celebration to the universal Church.
A Holy Obligation
All Saints Day is generally considered a Holy Day of Obligation, meaning all Catholics must attend Mass unless they are prevented by illness or any other sufficient excuse. All Saints Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church, that is, all those who have attained heaven. It should not be confused with All Souls Day, which is observed on November 2, and is dedicated to those who have died and have not yet reached heaven.
Live for Heaven, not the World
“If a Christian wants to reach heaven, he or she should ask themselves if they are living for the pleasures of the world, or if they are striving after holiness with all their strength”, said Pope Francis on the feast of All Saints in 2018. “Let us ask ourselves what side we are on: that of heaven or that of the earth? Do we live for the Lord or for ourselves, for eternal happiness or for some fulfilment now?” asked Pope. He continued, “In heaven, the saints cheer for those on earth when they see them choose God, humility, meekness, mercy and purity. The saints understand us, they love us, they know what our true good is, they help us, and they wait for us. They are happy, and they want us to be happy with them in paradise”.
Festal Blessings
“The reason for our existence is to quench the thirst of Jesus. When Jesus asked for water, a soldier gave him vinegar to drink – but His thirst was for love, for souls, for you and me,” said the saint of our time, St Mother Teresa, the Saint of the Gutter who realized the call to holiness and the call to sainthood. Jesus on the Cross had thirst for souls and Mother Teresa had the same thirst for souls which made her walk through the slums to share the love of Christ with the dying and the broken. The saints whose feast we celebrate today were ordinary men/women like you and me who lived a normal life here on earth; they saw Jesus in everything and embraced the struggles and crosses that came their way; they placed their little hands in the hands of the Creator and they said yes to His will in all circumstances of their lives. On this Solemnity of All Saints Day, as we look up to them for their powerful witness to holiness, sacrificial lives and charity, let us truly understand our call to holiness. Sainthood is a universal call given to every Baptized Christian.
In his encyclical “Saved by Hope,” Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI writes: “Life is a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route. The true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives.” They are our light of hope, because they point us to Jesus Christ, “the true light, the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history” (#49). The saints have showed us how to love, how to lead and how to live! Let us embrace all that life offers as the saints did and praise God in our moments of darkness as well as brightness. Through our acts of holiness and charity, let us be the rays of light in our broken and darkened world. Festal Blessings of All Saints Day 2021!
Sr Lini Sheeja MSC had worked in the slums of Bangalore and Chennai for the uplift of women and children by forming Self-Help Groups and educating these vulnerable children in good English Medium Schools. Sr Lini strongly believes in “My God provides and so no child should go uneducated”.