By Ladislaus Louis D’Souza
Mumbai, Oct. 31, 2021: “O pleasant happiness to see the saints, to be with the saints, to be a saint!” exults Saint Augustine of Hippo. Each age has produced its crop of holy men and women who go to make the amazing galaxy of saints in the Catholic Church.
There are the canonized, the beatified, the venerable, the well-known and the little known, coming from all walks of life. These cut across all time frames as well as age, gender and vocational divides, some named in the book of saints, many others not, all too numerous to be counted! It is thus to celebrate the grace-filled memory of all those in the realm of heaven who have accepted the saving grace of Christ, whether explicitly or implicitly, that the Church has instituted the “Feast of All Saints.”
The exact origin of this feast, which has been accorded the highest rank among feasts, a “Solemnity.” is unclear, observed as it has been over the centuries on different days in different places. According to Saints Ephraem Syrus (c 306-373) and John Chrysostom (c 349-407), a feast honoring all the martyrs of the Church was already being observed on May 13 in the Eastern Church in the 4th century. It is this date that Pope Boniface IV probably chose for the dedication of the Pantheon in Rome—which he had received from Emperor Phocas (c 609)—to Our Blessed Mother and the Martyrs.
The first evidence of November 1 as the date of the observance, however, was noted in England during the papacy of Gregory III (731-741) who dedicated an oratory in Saint Peter’s, Rome, to all the saints. The broadening of the feast to include all the saints and martyrs of the Universal Church and its observance on November 1 is variably ascribed to Pope Gregory IV (827-844) and Gregory VII (1020-1085).
Among the saints, who have lived and borne witness to the Paschal Mystery, Mary stands out as the Prima Donna of motherhood and virginity because of her intimate involvement with God’s plan of salvation. She is per se the perfection of the cooperation of humankind in the sacrifice of Christ.
The saints are exquisite masterpieces of God’s work. But this feast is meant to remind us that the stuff each of them is made of is human flesh and blood like ours; that to be counted among the highly favored of the Lord, it is not enough to be a baptized Christian. Rather, we ought to cherish in our heart, points out Saint Alphonsus Liguori, “a desire to achieve sanctity,” to enter ever more deeply into the death-resurrection mystery of Christ. The liturgical celebration of the feast of all the saints of the Church provides such an occasion.
There are many whom we (not the Pope) have canonized as saints in our hearts. These are remembered with love. We yearn to commune with them when we get back home to our Father’s abode. This for me is the communion of saints.