All Saints and All Souls
All Saints and All Souls
The saints are people who said “yes” to God’s plan for them and are now the blessed in heaven. Some were children and young people, some were mothers and fathers, some were single people some were monks, priests or nuns. On All Saints Day we praise and thank God for what He has done for us through these holy people. We ask the saints to pray for us that we may love God and our neighbour the way Jesus taught us.
The ancient Celtic season of Samhain is loaded with traditions and stories that have been passed down through centuries. People believed that at certain times of the year, the boundaries between the realms of the living and the dead broke down. Samhain was the time when this was most powerful.
While All Saints Day, the day after Halloween is often overshadowed by Halloween itself. It and the next day, All Souls, have always been extremely significant dates in old Ireland.
For the ancient Irish, Halloween was believed to be an auspicious day when the souls of the dead come back to visit their homes. People celebrated with a series of rituals and traditions. The Christian celebration of All Saints and All Souls Day, stems from the belief that there is a powerful bond between the living and the dead, through faith.
All Saints and All Souls falls at the same time as the Celtic festival of Samhain, which was created to celebrate not only the coming of the harvest but also to celebrate and remember the dead. Christianity adopted this time of year to celebrate the profound connection of the living with their dearly departed.
Like several dates in the Christian calendar, All Saints Day is also a day of remembrance of the martyrs who had given their lives in the name of God and it became a holy day of obligation.
The festival of ‘Halloween’ (All Hallows’ Eve) actually translates to “Holy men and women’s eve.” It acted as a prerequisite for what was actually the much more important holiday falling on the following day, 1st November.
The Celts believed this 3-day period was an opportunity to communicate with the dead and absorb the wisdom and lessons of their ancestors. During this time, the ancestors would bestow two gifts: the ability to remember old memories and traditions and: to hold a deeper understanding of how we are forever linked to our bloodline. Families would light fires and set tables with places set for each dead relative they hoped to summon. Tradition also speaks of children going from door to door begging for cakes and treats, in exchange for prayers for their deceased relatives. Many people believe this is where trick-or treating where originated.
Though many of the traditions from this time have died out, the world has adapted those that remain to become traditions we know and love today. In Mexico, they celebrate The Day of the Dead or ‘Dia de los Muertos’ on these same dates.
In the Christian faith, All Saints and All Souls Day are incredibly important and remain to be a time to honour and remember our beloved dead. The saints, whose lives are a powerful example to us on our journey of living holiness, and also the lives of those who may need prayer-help on their journey home to the fullness of the presence of God.
Having given thanks for the lived Christian faith, witness, example and joy of the Saints on All Saints Day, the very next day we remember in prayer, and in pilgrim action, the souls of all who have died, so many of whom we know and love, and we do so by participating in Mass, and in addition we may visit the cemetery where they are buried, light a candle, give alms, and do good works in their memory.
All Saints Day Prayer
Dear holy saints of God,
we join our prayers of praise
to yours today.
With you, we sing of God’s goodness,
we rejoice in God’s mercy,
we celebrate God’s incredible love.
Teach us to live as you lived,
thinking always of others,
recognising our frailties,
rejoicing always in God’s gifts,
always following Jesus.
Blessed are you, happy are you,
all holy saints of God.
Pray for us, that we
and those who have gone before us
may be among God’s holy ones.
Amen.
Saints in Heaven….
….Pray with me today
that I will show God’s love
in all I do and all I say
Amen.
Saints’ Day Prayer
Loving God,
thank you for the example of the Saints.
I desire to join in their company,
worshipping you now,
and forever in Heaven.
Guide me to follow their footsteps,
in following Jesus Christ.
Help me to conform to Your image,
seeking Your will in all things,
as the Saints did.
Amen.
Prayer For All Souls
(Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary)
Dear God of Mercy,
I pray this day for all souls,
both know and unknown to me,
who, although touched by death,
have yet to enter Your Heavenly Kingdom.
While they have loved you in their lifetime,
They have yet to attain the perfection Heaven demands.
So in my love for them, I offer my prayers,
and my small works of mercy
in the hope that Your mercy will flow to them
and bring them to eternal peace with You.
May they intercede for me
for the graces I need to live out my life on earth
in perfect obedience and love of You, my Father,
so that I too may join them in everlasting life
with You in Heaven.
May the souls of the faithful departed
through Your mercy
rest in peace.
Amen.
Prayer for the Dead
Into Your hands, O Lord,
we humbly entrust our brothers and sisters.
In this life you embraced them with Your tender love
deliver them now from every evil
and bid them eternal rest.
The old order has passed away:
welcome them into paradise,
where there will be
no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but fullness of peace and joy
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
forever and forever.
Amen.
