Why have All Saints and All Souls Day?

Why have All Saints and All Souls Day?

All Souls Day.

Origins of All Saints Day and All Souls Day

The feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day, when Catholics are encouraged to offer Masses and prayers for our deceased family members and relatives, were the living expression of a doctrine which stretched back to the earliest era of Christianity, and which is embodied in the Apostles' Creed.

The origin of All Saints Day is to be found in the prayers made to the martyr saints of the persecuted Church in the early centuries.  All Souls Day reflects the constant teaching of the Church, stretching back into the Old Testament period where it is record in the Book Maccabees, " It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to prayer for the dead, that they may loosed from their sins'

It seems a tragedy that All Saints Day is less recognized that Halloween, now a secular celebration of what was once the day before All Hallows (Saints) Day.

In Australia in 2001, the Australian bishops made a decision to reduce the number of Holy Days of Obligation, with the great feast of All Saints Day and All Souls Day (albeit an unofficial Holy Day of Obligation) disappearing from the awareness of even practising Catholics. Sadly, in some parishes including mine, the emphasis in November is about students and exams, rather than the Holy Souls.  As a consequence of that decision, a diminished awareness of the doctrine of Communion of Saints has resulted, a doctrine which teaches that believers on earth are united in a spiritual fellowship with the saints in Heaven and the souls in Purgatory.

These beautiful feasts days are both a source of inspiration and a consolation that we, in the world as the pilgrim Church can aspire to be reunited with our families and friends who are the Church triumphant in the joyful perfection of Heaven.  We can also give the souls in purgatory- great consolation by our prayers and Masses since we can pray for them, but they cannot pray for themselves.  Let us especially pray for the Holy Souls who have no one to pray for them or have been forgotten.

Many Catholics like to think that their loved ones have gone ''straight to Heaven''.  However, as consoling as this thought is at the time of death, it is not Church teaching.  You may wish to check the Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 1029-31 on Purgatory. However the doctrine of purgatory also gives us hope. We hope that we will get to heaven ourselves but we live in the hope that our loved ones have reached eternity.  We do not know for sure on most occasions, but there are times that bereaved get a certain sense that their loved ones have reached eternity.  We live in hope.

However, just for a few moments let us be practical. If a person went into confession and confessed their sins and came out and dropped dead straightaway outside the door of the confessional, then, yes, there might be a possibility of a quicker route to Heaven. If a person who had the opportunity of a plenary indulgence and died outside the confessional, then there definitely could be case for going straight to heaven, since any residual effect would be wiped. Short of that, we all have some shortfalls/sins/weakness at the time of death.

To enter Heaven, we want to be perfect, ''just as our Heavenly Father is perfect''.  So, God, in His kindness and love provides that opportunity for our souls to be cleansed and purified. Of course, how long we are in purgatory is in a sense up to us, since we can use our time wisely here on earth spiritually, or we can squander it largely or to a lesser extent. However, when we die and give an account of ourselves, God, by giving us the chance of purgatory is being kind and letting us know that our salvation is assured, but we still need to do some ''grooming'' through the efforts of the pilgrim church and the Church triumphant.  We cannot do it ourselves.
It will be one of my happiest moments in heaven if someone tells me in heaven that my prayers, works of charity or trials and attending Mass helped to release them from Purgatory.

What about you? Would you want to hear it from someone in heaven too?

Let us assist the Holy Souls by our prayers, works of charity, offering up our day and trials for them and attending Mass for their souls not only on these great feasts, but also during the month of November especially, but also during the year.

Let these great feasts touch our spiritual consciousness this year.