All Saints Day
It has come to my attention that many believers who are new to the liturgical traditions of the Church may be unfamiliar with the Feast of All Saints. The tradition of commemorating those who have gone before us extends back to the very early days of the Christian Church. By the early 200’s evidence suggests that it was already common for local churches to celebrate and remember the martyrdoms of their various members, lauding them as examples of following Christ even unto death. It was not long however before there were indeed so many martyrs throughout the universal Church that remembering each separately became impractical (remember that Christianity was illegal for most of the first 400 or so years of the Church’s history), thus the Church began to condense its commemorations. By the early 700’s it would appear that November 1 was selected as a day to remember the examples of all those who have gone before.
In 807 Gregory IV extended the celebration from strictly the example of martyrs to celebrating the example of all the saints that have entered ahead of us into rest and glory. This was indeed fitting since the word that we translate as saints, hagioi, simply means holy or set apart ones. The New Testament applies this word to all of the faithful in Christ. Therefore it is appropriate to celebrate on this day not only those historically significant exemplars of the faith but ALL the saints, the holy ones in Christ who have entered into eternal joy.
The Feast of All Saints is a feast of the Resurrection. Thus the church is decorated in white and gold and baptisms are traditionally performed. As St. Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” At Easter we celebrate the resurrection of Christ, the ‘firstfruits’. On All Saints we celebrate the fact that in Christ we all shall be raised to Life because we belong to Him.
The Church affirms in her ancient Creeds that we believe in the “communion of saints, the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.” In the book of Revelation chapter 7 the Apostle John, peering beyond the veil that separates Heaven and Earth, sees a great host of white robed saints from every people group on earth worshipping before the Throne of God. Likewise the author of the book of Hebrews tells us that we are “surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses” who are cheering us on in the race as we carry the baton of faith in our own day. Together, these texts affirm that while the souls of those who have died are awaiting their bodily resurrection upon Christ’s return, they have not ceased to exist but are still very much alive in the Lord, worshipping in His Divine Presence. Hebrews also suggests that they are apparently well aware of the trials and challenges of those of us who are following Christ here upon the earth and are therefore cheering us on. Thus we affirm in one of the prayers from the Burial Rite in the Book of Common Prayer, “For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens”
So also we pray on All Saints Day, “Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.”
This Collect (prayer) for the day perfectly sums up all that we have said. All Saints Day is a celebration of the life beyond the grave that is ours in Christ. As we celebrate we affirm that all those faithful who have died in the Lord are with Him awaiting the consummation of all things at the coming of His Kingdom. It is also a day to recognize, remember and celebrate the example in Christ that these have set for us. With those thoughts in our hearts and minds it is my prayer that we can all enter into the Feast together as we affirm, “O God, in the multitude of your saints you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses, that we might rejoice in their fellowship, and run with endurance the race that is set before us; and, together with them, receive the crown of glory that never fades away.”
