Saturday, October 31, 2020

FEAST OF ALL US SAINTS

The Pantheon today
 

On Sunday, November 1, we celebrate the ancient "Solemnity of All Saints." The earliest observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs." Then in the early seventh century, after several waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up twenty-eight wagon loads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope then rededicated the shrine as a Christian Church. (The preceding notes are from page 291 of the revised edition of "Saint of the Day," by Leonard Foley,  a book you will find extremely informative and edifying.)

In today's chaotic world of pandemic, presidential election campaign rhetoric, racial unrest, and economic uncertainty, we could do well to reflect for a few minutes on this feast and on the notion of "saint," remembering that the central idea of the feast is summed up in a single word: LOVE. 

The feast began as a celebration of the martyrs. These people were, by definition, "witnesses" to Christ. They're models of selflessness, the very opposite of what our culture prizes -- putting yourself as "number one" and demanding by right that the world around you arrange itself for your comfort and convenience. 


Later on, the feast broadened to include other holy people, including those who devoted their lives to caring for the poor, the hungry, the forgotten members of society. Most of these "saints,"  who were known only to a few people, announced the Good News of the Kingdom by their lives of faithfulness, kindness, and joyful service to their brothers and sisters. They stand as an encouragement to you and me, while also pointing accusing fingers at a selfish country that, while enjoying a huge proportion of the world's wealth, professes little or no obligation to share those blessings with others, whether with poor individuals within its borders or with the poorest nations. May they intercede for us that we may overcome all the influences of our culture that run contrary to Christ's message of self-giving love. Egocentrism is a great anaesthetic.

One of the most predominant characteristics of today's world is fear. There is, certainly, a legitimate fear of the covid-19 pandemic, but there is also the manufactured fear used by politicians and leaders to manipulate us into believing that there's a "they" who are the sworn enemy of "us" and of everything we hold dear. (This trick was old even in Aristotle's day, hundreds of years before Christ, and it still works!) When you find yourself feeling afraid, you might think about the thousands of martyrs we celebrate on November 1. They were afraid, too, you would think. They make good patrons to pray to these days.


We could go on, of course, listing the virtues of the various members of the great "white-robed army," traits that serve as models, as encouragements and challenges for us present-day Christians who are on our way to becoming saints as well.

If you sometimes get the feeling that you no longer know which way is up, think about the saints, each one of whom is praying for you, and each one of whom has shown by his or her life the way to the Kingdom.

Happy All Saints' Day!

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