by Fr. Baumann. What great prophets have said may be forgotten, but what heroes and saints have done is still remembered. This Sunday, we honor all the saints, but especially the less known and unrecognized ones – some in our own families. Saintly people remind us that we too are called to holiness.
The Church’s observance of All Saints goes back to the fourth century, when it was limited to commemorating all the martyrs. Then in the seventh century Pope Boniface IV gathered up some twenty-eight wagonloads of bones that had been plundered by invaders from the catacombs, and reburied them beneath the Pantheon, once a Roman temple to pagan gods, which he re-dedicated as a Christian church. The pope explained that he intended “that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons.”
This solemnity in honor of all the saints, demonstrates the great honor and respect that we should render to holy men and women of the past. Honoring the saints reminds us of our goal of attaining heaven as a reward for our efforts in living the Gospel taught to us by Jesus.
The Preface of today’s Mass tells us what this feast is all about: “Around your throne the saints, our brothers and sisters, sing your praise forever. Their glory fills us with joy, and their communion with us in your church gives us inspiration and strength as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith.”
In our prayers, we ask that their example of holy living turn our “thoughts to the service of God and neighbor” (Opening Prayer), and we express our appreciation of “their concern to help and save us” (Prayer over the Gifts).
Each of us can look to our patron saints and to those saints for whom we have some special admiration for inspiration and example. These saints are, after all, our brothers and sisters, who are in very real communion with us, particularly at every Mass, and who can strengthen us by their intercessions, since we are on the same journey which they have completed.
Their triumph is a source of our joy; their glory is our eager expectation. This Solemnity celebrates God’s great triumph in the multitude which no one can count. It celebrates God’s glory, wisdom, honor and power. This feast is also the community’s day to praise God who began a great work in us on the day of our Baptism, when we were washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb.
Also, this past week we observed the Feast of the saintly apostles Simon and Jude. They were among the twelve whom the Lord Jesus, after a night of prayer, called to discipleship, and were valuable to Him. While we don’t know much about them personally, we do know that both belonged to the Jewish Zealot party, a nationalistic group which sought to overthrow the occupying Romans. The word “zealot” comes from our own word “zeal,” and they, along with the other apostles were zealous for Christ. We might meditate a little on that, and ask ourselves if we are “zealous” for Him and our Faith?
We pray today that with God’s help and the intercession of the saints, we will bring to completion the great work He has begun in us, and that we will arrive at God’s throne to sing His praises forever.