Reflection for the Feast of All Saints Part 1

by Fr. Tony Okolo C.S.Sp., V.F.  |  11/10/2024  |  Weekly Reflection

Beloved Parishioners,

Today I share with you a reflection on All Saints and what the solemnity means for us as Catholics who confess I believe in the communion of Saints in our creed. Last week we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, otherwise known as All Hallows, a feast that reminds us that we are a part of a larger communion, which transcends time and space, connecting us to the saints in heaven.

In the 9th article of the Apostle’s Creed, we profess “I believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints.” It is exactly that Communion of Saints, Communio Sanctorum in Latin, that we are highlighting today. This Communion of Saints in the Mystical body of Christ, the Church, on the level of Sancta (holy things) point us to the things we share for example the Eucharist and other sacraments. However, on the level of Sancti (holy people), this Communion of Saints exists in the three states of the Church namely: the Church Militant (ecclesia militens), the Church Penitent (ecclesia poenitens), and the Church Triumphant (ecclesia triumphans).

The focus of the celebration is on the Church Triumphant. We celebrate the communion we share with the saints in heaven because for us Catholics, the saints are not really dead, but are fully alive in Jesus Christ, who is life itself (John 11:25; 14:6) and the bread of life who bestows life on all who eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:35, 48, 51, 53-56). The saints are alive in heaven because of the life they have received through their faith in Christ Jesus and through their eating of His body and blood. The book of Revelation tells us about the saints worshipping God, singing hymns, playing instruments, making requests to Christ to avenge their martyrdom, and offering prayers for the saints on earth (Rev. 4:10, 5:8, 6:9-11). Because they are alive, we believe that we can go to them to intercede for us with God since CCC 947 rightly teaches that “Since all the faithful form one body, the good of each is communicated to the others…”

On this special feast of All Saints, we celebrate all the known and canonized saints, as well as the unknown saints who could be members of our family, our friends, and acquaintances who now share the beatific vision. The date for this feast on November 1 was universalized by Pope Gregory IV in the 9th Century. Prior to that, feasts commemorating all Christian martyrs were held by the early Church in various places on various dates near Easter and Christmas. Additionally, the feast of All Saints is one of the Holy Days of obligation in the Church.

By instituting this feast, the Church wants us to understand that our fundamental call as Christians is a call to holiness and this call is not restricted to the clergy or consecrated persons, rather it is universal. Lumen Gentium 40 highlights that “the followers of Christ must hold on to and perfect in their lives that sanctification which they have received from God” and in Matthew 5:48 Jesus admonishes us that we must be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy. In fact, we picked up our appointment letter to a life of holiness on the day we became baptized. It’s a lifelong endeavor but the grace of God is there to assist us. Our generation is not exempted in this call to holiness. We have seen the example of Blessed Carlo Acutis who was born in 1991 and who died in 2006 that will soon be canonized in a later date that will be made known to us by the Holy See this year. His example shows us that even in the 21st century, the call to holiness is not outdated.

The last part of this reflection will be concluded next week but let me once again express my sincere appreciation to you all, my beloved parishioners, for your constant response to the needs of the parish. Since last week I made the appeal for the Air Condition I have received a lot of good positive response from many of you. May God bless you and your families.