Feast of All Saints Day

The feast of the All Saints Day is celebrated on the first of November in the west, since 837 when Pope Gregory IV ordered its church-wide observance.  On this day, we remember the saints, who may have been forgotten or never been specifically honored.  Today’s feast uses the word in a much wider sense.  It refers to all baptized Christians who have died and are now with God in glory.  It also includes all non- Christians who lived a good life sincerely in accordance with convictions of their true conscience.

The origin of this feast lies in the common commemorations of martyrs who died in groups or whose names were unknown, which were held on various days in different parts of the Church.  However, over time these celebrations came to include not only martyrs but all saints, those persons who lived a holy life faithful to the Gospel values.

The main purpose of this feast is that the merits of all the saints are venerated in communion by this one celebration because a very large number of saints could not be given special honor since the days of the year would not be sufficient for individual celebrations.         

The second purpose of this feast is that there has been any negligence, omission and irreverence committed in the celebration of the saints’ feast throughout the year is to be atoned and due honor is offered to them.

Todays’ feast is an occasion for great thanksgiving.  It is altogether reasonable to think that many of our family members, relatives and friends who have gone before us are being celebrated today.  These saintly men and women whom we remember are blessed and holy and we ought to follow in their footsteps.   Today is the day too for us to pray to them – with the canonized and these uncanonized and ask them to pray on our behalf that we may live our lives in faithfulness so that we too may experience the same reward.

By: Fr. A. Singarayan