Greetings.
To write on such a complex topic on All Saints and Souls Day and that too in few lines would be injustice to the subject itself however from the information gathered from various sources, we observe that the Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the “Church triumphant”), and the living (the “Church militant”).
In Catholic theology, “All Saints Day’ commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. As the name implies, it is a day to commemorate all the saints of the Christian church, whether they are unknown or known, who people believe went to heaven. It is solemnly celebrated on 1st of November.
If family history had a favorite holiday, it would have to be All Souls’ Day, the thousand-year-old observance that falls every year on 2nd November, immediately after All Saints’ Day, which is on 1st November. Like All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day is for remembering people who have died. But while All Saints’ Day is focused on Christian martyrs and saints, All Souls’ Day is all about the members of your own family and family tree. It’s a day for being with family, visiting cemeteries, sharing memories of loved ones, and honoring traditions.
The Origins Of these festivities.
To understand the origins of All Souls’ Day, we should probably start with All Saints’ Day. During the Middle Ages, most Christian communities held a yearly feast to honor the Church’s saints—martyrs who had died and gone to heaven. In time, this day came to be known as All Saints’ Day, and the Catholic Church made it a holy day of obligation. Sometime in the 10th century, the Catholic priest St. Odilo of Cluny instituted All Souls’ Day—a day to pray for the souls of deceased family members—ordinary men and women who had lived good lives and were waiting in purgatory until they were worthy to enter heaven.
Contrary to what some people believe, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day did not evolve from paganism. But, some parts of pagan practices were included by other cultures, while others naturally became part of the All Saints and All Souls’ celebrations. The churches declared that 1st November as a day of obligation, which means that Christians are required to go to church and try to avoid doing any submissive work.
The Christian tradition of honoring martyrs and saints as well as declaring a special day for each saint started in the 4th century AD, but the tradition of remembering all martyrs began in 609 AD after the declaration of Pope Boniface IV. To be clear, both All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day are prayer days associated with the Catholic Church.
One meaningful way to celebrate All Saints day would be to discover how all Saints have unique stories, and how we are all called to holiness. It’s a great time to talk about our role as a family to help each other get to heaven.
On all Souls Day we should pray for all those who have passed on but have not yet gained the reward of heaven. As Catholics we believe that only those free from the attachment of sin will be able to enter heaven, and thus souls who love God, but are not in a state of perfection enter into purgatory, for purification. On this feast day the church shifts it’s focus to praying for the dearly departed who are in purgatory and can no longer pray for themselves.
On behalf of all, have a blessed All Saints Day and a prayerful all Souls day with your family and friends
With my spiritual salutations !!!!
Source: Researched from various websites.
– Agnelo A.S. Fernandes (Ward 12 )