The Commemoration of All Faithful Departed
* * * Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2004: Holy Eucharist 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel * * *
On the Church's calendar, November 2 is "All Souls' Day," the popular name for the Feast of All Faithful Departed. It culminates a three-tiered liturgical tandem, being preceded by All Hallows' Eve (October 31) and the Feast of All Saints (November 1). Each one of these observances has a particular point of emphasis, and yet all are linked by one great truth: the victory over evil and death we share—in this life and beyond—through Baptism into the Body of Christ. Even though Halloween is now (wrong-headedly!) under attack in some arenas, we must hold firm in our witness that even the frolicking customs of that day, lampooning the powers of darkness, actually proclaim and act out that great truth. As for All Saints' Day, Episcopalians almost innately understand celebrating the surpassing witness of those figures in our faith, from Scripture and through the centuries, who have inspired and empowered the Church. However, when it comes to All Souls' Day, it has been my experience that many of us are a bit less on board. This may be because in many places the day passes unobserved. Perhaps a stronger reason for some confusion is the unfortunate (and yet quite common) practice of somehow blending the observance of All Souls' into the celebration of All Saints—"doing both at once"— and thus blurring the distinct focus and message of each.
The ancient Christians began the commemoration of All Saints specifically to include unknown saints. They knew that while they honored the known saintly exemplars, there were also many who were martyred for their faith and yet were not known or honored personally. So, the Feast of All Saints commemorates all those persons whose manner of life and death are pillars of the faith that sustained the larger Church in human history. AH Souls is the commemoration of the faithful lives of countless Christian people through the centuries who were not distinguished for the larger Church, but who have nonetheless sustained the faith and the Church's ongoing life in local places and in "ordinary" ways. History has not remembered them and now most are known only to God. Even so, they are the bulk of that fabric which has been woven in infinite detail over time and handed down to us as the Church today. It is largely their collective work and
witness that has passed the faith on to us. We have not only our acclaimed heroes and heroines and those of unheralded greatness for the universal Church (All Saints') but also the now-forgotten faithfulness and strength of the day-to-day believers who came before us (All Souls).
One of the reasons we know this to be true is because it happens in our own experiences. Each one of us has been shaped in our lives and in our faith by persons who, now departed, will not be named by history. Even so, they have been powerful personal examples for us and perhaps many others as well. They have taught us the Christian faith, loved and nurtured us, and shaped us into who we are. They are Sunday School teachers, altar guild, clergy, family members, friends, and so many others. On the Feast of All Faithful Departed, we thank God for them and we give thanks for God's continuing love and care for them. We also acknowledge and claim our mysterious but very real ongoing relationship with them. In the Resurrection, Jesus defeated the power of death. As the Eucharistic preface for funerals says: ". . . for to your faithful people, 0
Lord, life is changed, not ended." So it is with our relationships. We bring to All Souls' Day those whom we love but see no longer [BCP, p. 504}—those who have a special place in our lives and in our faith in God as the loving Lord of both the living and the dead. ALLELUIA!
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At this service, those attending will submit the names of the persons they wish to remember.
