All Saints, All Souls, All Month

When I was in high school, I saw a headline in a Catholic magazine for their November issue celebrating the month of All Souls.  The headline was “All Saints, All Souls, All Month.”  This expression always intrigued me.  I used to think that the commemoration of the saints and souls was just one more holy day, one more event in the Church calendar that could be “checked off” and then put aside as we moved on to the next feast.

As I have gotten older, as I have experienced more life and more death, I realized the power of that simple slogan.  It became a reminder that the celebration of our holy heroes, the memory of our deceased loved ones, and the belief in the “Communion of Saints” is not just something that we commemorate one day a year or only during a certain week.  In Catholic theology and practice, the connection we have with the saints and souls is something that we should remember all the time - every day, every year.

These celebrations are liturgical reminders that Christians are part of a Church that extends beyond time and space.  On All Saints Day we look to the future, remembering those who have gone before us in faith and who are now with the Lord.  We are inspired by the lives of the saints because they have run the race and have received the crown of victory.  We celebrate because we have the sure and certain hope that we, too, can reach this goal.  Saint Francis de Sales tells us that “the lives of the saints are nothing but the Gospel put into practice.”  

On All Souls Day we look to the past, to those who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection.  We pray that our departed brothers and sisters will experience God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness as they transition to a new life in the Lord.  As the mystical Body of Christ, we believe that we can pray for one another all the time.  This is not just an option; it is our duty as Christians.  We need not be the holiest, most devout, most pious believer, nor do we need to be a religious sister or brother, priest, deacon, or bishop to accomplish this duty.

In the fall of 2020 Pope Francis issued an encyclical entitled Fratelli Tutti – Brothers and Sisters All.  The Holy Father called the Church and the world to remember we are all connected as sisters and brothers.  We are in relationship with all of humanity and we are responsible for one another, on Earth as is in heaven.  The celebrations at the beginning of November help us to remember that we are all in this together.  This message of faith and fraternity is something we must recall every day.  

The month of November is a reminder of the relational nature of Christian life, of relationship with those who have gone before us, with those who will follow after, and with the God who is the source of all relationships. 

May we remember this all month, all year.  May we practice this every day. 

Reverend Jack Kolodziej, OSFS

Provincial

Wilmington-Philadelphia Providence

Unmasked

This Halloween we had our usual share of trick-or-treaters at the parish rectory, knocking on the door and chanting in that sing-song way, “Trick or treat!”  It’s amazing to me that Halloween is now the second most popular holiday for adults in the United States (Christmas is still the first).  Yet, at the same time, Halloween is the one holiday where we don’t celebrate who we really are.  Instead, we put on masks and go door to door begging for treats, we disguise ourselves in order to get something good.

In a sense, this is a metaphor for real life.  How many of us disguise ourselves every day by putting on “masks” at home or at work in order to get what we think is good?  How many of us wear “masks,” that is, behave or do things that we believe will make us feel affirmed and liked; powerful and in control; secure and safe?  How many times do we get what we need by wearing masks?

If we are honest, it can be difficult to be ourselves.  It can be hard to freely express your own opinion or thoughts for fear of what others might say or think.  If you are in a restaurant and publicly pray over your food, some people may look at you as if they have seen a monster and, for some of us, that public shaming or disapproval is more frightening than anything we saw at our doors Halloween night.

The poet E.E. Cummings said it best, “To be nobody but yourself in a world that is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody but yourself — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight — and never stop fighting.”

That’s why it’s great that the Church celebrates the Feast of All Saints right after Halloween.  All Saints Day is really the feast of those who took their masks off and lived lives free of artificiality and pretense.  All Saints Day celebrates the many different men and women over the centuries who became holy by taking the words of Saint Francis de Sales to heart, “Be who you are and be that well in order to give glory to God, the Master Craftsman whose masterpiece you are.”

We too can be saints.  We too are called to follow Saint Francis de Sales’ teaching and become holy.  We can live our lives without our masks.  All we need to do is approach the door of God’s love every day, acknowledge our sinfulness and respond to God’s mercy and grace. This invites us to take our masks off, humbly knock at God’s door as we are, and lovingly accept God’s “treats” — the grace and love He offers daily to us.

May God be praised!

Father Michael Newman, OSFS

Pastor

Holy Family Parish

Adrian, MI