XXXI SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
TRADITION, FESTIVITY AND FAITH IN THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
By our pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jimenez
Celebrating All Saints and All Souls, I will title my reflection: tradition, festivity, faith in the Communion of Saints.
Tradition and festivity go hand in hand. I remember joyfully preparing to celebrate these two great festivities in my hometown. The men in my town would notice where wild white flower bushes grew, which are very common and traditional for this time of year. The day before All Souls Day they would go to the fields to cut these flowers, then they would go to the cemetery to clean, to paint and decorate the graves for the big celebration. The women would prepare paper crowns or nylon crowns for each grave or for each loved one who had died. Children would prepare the songs and prayers, and on All Souls day they would come out to ask for sweets. They would chant “we are angels, we come down from heaven, begging for something to eat, we do not want wine nor beer, what we want is on the table.” Each house that would receive the children would ask them to pray the Our Father or Hail Mary for the dead. The family would share their sweets. In the cemetery there would always be people praying at night, at dawn and during the day, of November 1st and 2nd. Nobody would wear costumes, instead the focus was always respect and communion with the dead.
Our costumes today, on this holiday, are monsters, witches, dancing and alcohol. I read stories of the beginning of the feasts of All Saints and All Souls and almost all the stories come from pagan festivals, which speak of a short life that expires quickly with no hope of anything after death. As if they were animals: they were born, lived, died and that’s it. Our life is short, that’s true, but “indeed for your faithful, Lord, life is changed not ended, and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust, an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven” (Preface of the Dead). I do not want to be remembered as a monster or witch. I want to become a saint, and live with God. My question is: what do you want to be after this earthly life? We can tell God that we love him with words and tell Him we don’t believe in him with our lives and the clothes we wear. A lot people could say to me: “Father, you are outdated or please don’t take away our opportunity to have fun!” No, I don’t want do that, it’s your decision, but remember God gives us what we ask for, by word or our actions.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 954 says: “The three states of the Church. “When the Lord comes in glory, and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating ‘in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is’:
All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbors, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God. All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together.”
The Catechism goes on to say in paragraph 958: “Communion with the dead.’In full consciousness of this communion of the whole Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, the Church in its pilgrim members, from the very earliest days of the Christian religion, has honored with great respect the memory of the dead; and ‘because it is a holy and a wholesome thought to pray for the dead that they may be loosed from their sins’ she offers her suffrages for them.’ Our prayer for them is capable not only of helping them, but also of making their intercession for us effective.”
Now, what is your hope? Have faith that God will give us eternal life or do you want to live with the monsters and witches? May this celebration help us reaffirm our faith, and remind us that we are one church: in pilgrimage, suffering and triumphant, one in Christ and in Him we have salvation. May God grant us the grace of faith and hope in eternal life. Amen.