All Saints and All Souls Feast Days
Author: Kathryn Morse
Published on: October 9, 1998
Catholic Customs Contrasted to Halloween
Many of the customs of Halloween have to do with fear of the dead. It was believed by the Celtic people that evil spirits roamed the earth on the last night of the Celtic year (October 31) and that they worked mischief among the living. Part of Celtic belief was that one could live safely through the night by dressing up as a ghost, witch, etc., or bribing the evil spirits with treats.
It was also believed that the souls of sinful persons who passed away during the year were imprisoned in the bodies of animals and that they on this night could be freed through gifts and sacrifices. Often the sacrifices were human.
Communion of the Saints
In contrast, the Catholic feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day offer a much more pleasant opportunity for recognition of our Communion of the Saints or fellowship with those dead to this earthly existence. As a convert, one of the things I found very interesting about Catholicism is the different definition of Communion of the Saints.
It seems that when Protestants talk about Communion of the Saints they mean fellowship among local church members and/or members of other churches or denominations. This is a fellowship for people who are living in this see/touch world.
The Catholic Church emphasizes that with Christ at the head the body of the Church, the people who make up the Church, living or dead, cannot be separated. Therefore, Communion of the Saints has a much broader meaning in the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church teaches that the Church exists in three different states. One is the pilgrim church struggling to live faithful lives in this earthly existence. Another is the triumphant church of saints already in Heaven. The other state is existence in purgatory or the suffering church. In purgatory, the faithful are purified for entry into the triumphant church.
The Feast of All Saints Day on November 1 and the Feast of All Souls Day on November 2 reminds us of our relationship to those in the other states. These are days of remembrance, celebration and prayer.
Feast of All Saints
The Feast of All Saints is the celebration of our relationship with those in the triumphant church - those who have preceded us in entry to heaven. It began with local festivals in the early church. Ever since there were Christian martyrs, local churches have honored their martyrs. Lists were kept locally and feast days were held locally. Of course there were martyrs who were not recorded for various reasons.
In the sixth century, Pope Boniface IV proclaimed May 13, 610, Feast of All Holy Martyrs held in Rome to honor all martyrs not listed in local records. In 835, Pope Gregory IV changed the date and name to November 1 and Feast of All Saints. A theory for the change in date is that since the feast was large and popular, it was easier to have a fall date to take advantage of the fall harvest for the food supply.
The change in the name of the event from Feast of All Holy Martyrs to Feast of All Saints probably became about because there was a change in the customs regarding who was listed as a "Saint." In the early years of the Church, only martyrs were given that title, but after the Roman persecutions ended the title was given to others who had led meritorious lives and who were credited with miraculous intercession.
In a "message" on September 27, 1998, Our Lord Jesus said to Carol Ameche, a "seer," "The Communion of Saints shines with the joy of union on every level of life. A bond of prayer and community exists that is stronger than all of you on earth realize. This should be a motive for you to pray with greater joy ad the excitement of a new and deeper awareness of the Presence of all the Angels and Saints, of My Mother and Myself."
Feast of All Souls
While the Feast of All Saints is a day to remember the glories of Heaven and those there, the Feast of All Souls on November 2 reminds us of our obligations to live holy lives and that there will be purification of the souls of those destined for Heaven - in this life or in purgatory.
II Maccabees 12:42b-46 is a wonderful lesson about eternal life and caring for the souls of the dead, "The noble Judas exhorted the people the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. He also took up a collection . . . and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin."*
The traditions of the Feast of All Souls began independently of the Feast of All Saints. The Feast of All Souls owes its beginning to seventh century monks who decided to offer the mass on the day after Pentecost for their deceased community members.
In the late tenth century, the Benedictine monastery in Cluny chose to move their mass for their dead to November 2, the day after the Feast of all Saints. This custom spread and in the thirteenth century, Rome put the feast on the calendar of the entire Church. The date remained November 2 so that all in the Communion of the Saints might be celebrated together.
Traditional Catholics still honor customs related to the relief of the souls suffering in purgatory. One custom is for persons to pray six Our Fathers, Hail Mary's and Glory Be's for the intentions of the Pope in a church, and thereby, receive a plenary indulgence for a soul in purgatory. This action may be repeated for another soul, by leaving the church building and re-entering to repeat the prayers.
This sounds strange to Protestants who do not believe in the exchange of "spiritual goods" and charity among the living and the dead.
Enjoy the Feasts! Celebrate eternal life!
'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'
Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord,
because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (I Corinthians
15:54b-58)