Do you remember them? Honoring the Dead on All Souls Day
By Juan Rodriguez – Dedicated to Jimmy Martinez
You don’t know how comforting it is to hear a priest mention the name of a family member during the mass. The priest offers his intention for our loved one who passed away, so that God who is merciful will bring your family member or best friend to heaven.
On the day of All Souls, the priest not only prays for those who you love or care for, he prays for all those whose names are not mentioned in the mass. The priests in our parishes do this daily, sometimes twice to three times a day. What’s even more amazing is that even if your family members, loved ones, or friends are not mentioned at the mass, the Church throughout the world is praying for them. Think of the number of masses: a mass is being celebrated every 2 minutes in a different country, in a different language, by people you don’t know – it is through our interconnection in our baptism in the Trinity that we become in this act a living testimony of our belief in the “Communion of Saints”. Be comforted in knowing that our people, the Church, is praying daily, hourly, minute by minute for the ones you love. The Church invites you and me to participate in remembering the dead – which is why we celebrate on November 2nd, the feast of All Souls day. Keep this in mind, All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation, but a day designated to honor the memory of the fallen departed.
History of the All Souls Day – How did it begin?
It was believed that most Christians of the past honored the dead by celebrating their funeral or anniversary of their deaths. The intention of the Church, the people of God, became a testimony of hope and anticipation in the resurrection of Jesus. As time went on the Church encouraged Christians of that time as it does today, to pray for our loved ones, our friends, and many to enter into Heaven. These souls may not have been canonized as saints, but they were genuinely good Christian examples. These people could be prayed for so that they can enjoy the promise of resurrection in Christ.
This most blessed solemn day was celebrated in local parishes and then it became a major celebration in different countries. It so happened that a man by the name of Odilo of Cluny was inspired by the celebration and encouraged his members to celebrate this day on November 2nd. The commemoration spread through the Church as bishops and priests began to see this as a testimony of faith in the resurrection of the dead. It was in the 14th century that the Pope made November 2nd an official day for the entire Church to remember the faithfully departed.
Today our parishes continue to remember the dead. A great way to experience the Church praying for the dead is during the sacrifice of the mass. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest says prayers to ask God to bring the faithful departed to heaven. Here is an example of one prayer, “Welcome into your kingdom our departed brothers and sisters, and all who have left this world in your friendship. We hope to enjoy for ever the vision of your glory, through Christ our Lord, from who all good things come.”
Praying for the Dead is part of our Jewish Heritage:
We have to thank our Jewish brothers and sisters for preserving their spiritual traditions in Sacred Scripture. Many of our practices come straight out of the bible when it comes to honoring the dead. In the Old Testament you will find sections where acts of mourning show us that the living grieved over those they loved (2 Samuel 3:31; Jeremiah 16:6); you will also find how people made it a ritual to bury the dead (1Samuel 31:12; Tobit 2:4-8). The belief of one not being buried after death brought dread to a faithful one of God that they would do justice to the body of one who had fallen (Deuteronomy 21:23) . You will find in scripture examples of caring for the tombs of family members (Genesis 23; 49:29-32; 50:12F). There were funeral banquets celebrated in honor of the dead (Jeremiah 16:7); even offerings placed on tombs of the dearly departed (Tobit 4:17). Lastly, there is strong testimony of praying for the dead as being an important and honorable act before God. In the 2nd Book of Maccabees (12:38-48), we find the man called Judas Maccabees making atonement for the sins of the fallen soldiers in his army. In the book of Tobit (1:16-21) we find Tobit’s example an honorable act of burying and caring for the dead.
Since the Apostles themselves were Jewish in faith, this spiritual tradition of caring and praying for the dead carried over into their new found faith in Jesus. We can find several examples of this tradition being carried over to the Christian faith by reading the thoughts of the Church Fathers, those who have had a close connection to the Apostles or their disciple. One example comes from a lecture given by St. Cyril of Jerusalem in the year 350 A.D., on the offering of the Mass for the dead: He wrote, “Then we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, Apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition; next, we make mention also of the holy fathers and bishops who have already fallen asleep, and, to put it simply, of all among us have already fallen asleep; for we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn Sacrifice is laid out.” [Catechetical Lectures, 350 A.D.]
How to get our youth and young adult groups involved in this celebration.
There are several ways of getting youth and young adults involved in remembering the dead. We offer three simple ways:
1st Prepare the first week before All Souls day a small prayer session to remember family and friends of the members of your group; within in this prayer session, make reference to sacred scripture on the importance of honoring the dead. You could also give a brief Catechesis with a reflection. The Catechesis of course can be on why we honor and pray for the dead, while the reflection could be used to help youth and young adults remember. There will be moments of joy, tears, and sometimes sadness, in the presence of good friends who can learn and share experiences of their loved ones. At the end of the reflection, leaders can prayer out loud or silence for those who have past away.
I can remember when I went to visit friends of the family whose mother passed away due to a severe heart attack. The mother was from a Christian denomination of the Pentecostal Church. I understood that in her tradition, they did not teach or believed in praying for the dead, but could I really let the sons suffer by not saying their “good byes”? I led them in prayer that went so close to honoring the saints, even in honoring the dead and at the end of the prayer I invited them to say their last words to their mother. I told them, “tell her what you would have wanted her to hear, what you wished to say to her before she passed on.” They had no chance to say “good bye”, to say “I love you”, to say “I’m sorry mom”. To me it would only seem natural and supernatural to mourn the death of a loved one, and even more, to say the things that are most important from our hearts. Leading in this session, the sons began to pour out their hearts. Tears of sorrow became tears of joy, because they got a chance to talk to her, they had the chance to simply pray for the dead.
My point is this – use the group as a means to move hearts to pray for their loved ones. You’d be surprised of the reaction and the peace your members will have after prayer.
2nd Ask members to write the names of family members and friends who have died. Give them to the priest to offer these name during the Mass of All Souls.
3rd Invite the members of the group to participate at the Mass. Let the pastor or priest offering the Mass know that the group will attend and would like to participate. A great way to participate is having members read the names of those who have died during the year between November 1st of the last year to this year (Example: Nov. 2, 2006 to Nov. 2nd, 2007). If you have a youth group, encourage not only the youth to participate, but also their parents. Your pastor or priest will see this as an opportunity to evangelize, to catechize and to pastorally guide those still hurting the loss of a loved one.
Bringing our youth and young adults into these special celebrations helps beginner and lukewarm Catholics to become stronger in their faith. They can capture the importance of our spirituality, our traditions and our purpose in loving the one Man who saved our lives, Jesus! Praise be God, in His angels and in His Saints.
You don’t know how comforting it is to hear a priest mention the name of a family member during the mass. The priest offers his intention for our loved one who passed away, so that God who is merciful will bring your family member or best friend to heaven.On the day of All Souls, the priest not only prays for those who you love or care for, he prays for all those whose names are not mentioned in the mass. The priests in our parishes do this daily, sometimes twice to three times a day. What’s even more amazing is that even if your family members, loved ones, or friends are not mentioned at the mass, the Church throughout the world is praying for them. Think of the number of masses: a mass is being celebrated every 2 minutes in a different country, in a different language, by people you don’t know – it is through our interconnection in our baptism in the Trinity that we become in this act a living testimony of our belief in the “Communion of Saints”. Be comforted in knowing that our people, the Church, is praying daily, hourly, minute by minute for the ones you love. The Church invites you and me to participate in remembering the dead – which is why we celebrate on November 2nd, the feast of All Souls day. Keep this in mind, All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation, but a day designated to honor the memory of the fallen departed.
History of the All Souls Day – How did it begin?
It was believed that most Christians of the past honored the dead by celebrating their funeral or anniversary of their deaths. The intention of the Church, the people of God, became a testimony of hope and anticipation in the resurrection of Jesus. As time went on the Church encouraged Christians of that time as it does today, to pray for our loved ones, our friends, and many to enter into Heaven. These souls may not have been canonized as saints, but they were genuinely good Christian examples. These people could be prayed for so that they can enjoy the promise of resurrection in Christ.This most blessed solemn day was celebrated in local parishes and then it became a major celebration in different countries. It so happened that a man by the name of Odilo of Cluny was inspired by the celebration and encouraged his members to celebrate this day on November 2nd. The commemoration spread through the Church as bishops and priests began to see this as a testimony of faith in the resurrection of the dead. It was in the 14th century that the Pope made November 2nd an official day for the entire Church to remember the faithfully departed.
Today our parishes continue to remember the dead. A great way to experience the Church praying for the dead is during the sacrifice of the mass. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the priest says prayers to ask God to bring the faithful departed to heaven. Here is an example of one prayer, “Welcome into your kingdom our departed brothers and sisters, and all who have left this world in your friendship. We hope to enjoy for ever the vision of your glory, through Christ our Lord, from who all good things come.”
Praying for the Dead is part of our Jewish Heritage:
We have to thank our Jewish brothers and sisters for preserving their spiritual traditions in Sacred Scripture. Many of our practices come straight out of the bible when it comes to honoring the dead. In the Old Testament you will find sections where acts of mourning show us that the living grieved over those they loved (2 Samuel 3:31; Jeremiah 16:6); you will also find how people made it a ritual to bury the dead (1Samuel 31:12; Tobit 2:4-8). The belief of one not being buried after death brought dread to a faithful one of God that they would do justice to the body of one who had fallen (Deuteronomy 21:23) . You will find in scripture examples of caring for the tombs of family members (Genesis 23; 49:29-32; 50:12F). There were funeral banquets celebrated in honor of the dead (Jeremiah 16:7); even offerings placed on tombs of the dearly departed (Tobit 4:17). Lastly, there is strong testimony of praying for the dead as being an important and honorable act before God. In the 2nd Book of Maccabees (12:38-48), we find the man called Judas Maccabees making atonement for the sins of the fallen soldiers in his army. In the book of Tobit (1:16-21) we find Tobit’s example an honorable act of burying and caring for the dead.Since the Apostles themselves were Jewish in faith, this spiritual tradition of caring and praying for the dead carried over into their new found faith in Jesus. We can find several examples of this tradition being carried over to the Christian faith by reading the thoughts of the Church Fathers, those who have had a close connection to the Apostles or their disciple. One example comes from a lecture given by St. Cyril of Jerusalem in the year 350 A.D., on the offering of the Mass for the dead: He wrote, “Then we make mention also of those who have already fallen asleep: first, the patriarchs, prophets, Apostles, and martyrs, that through their prayers and supplications God would receive our petition; next, we make mention also of the holy fathers and bishops who have already fallen asleep, and, to put it simply, of all among us have already fallen asleep; for we believe that it will be of very great benefit to the souls of those for whom the petition is carried up, while this holy and most solemn Sacrifice is laid out.” [Catechetical Lectures, 350 A.D.]
How to get our youth and young adult groups involved in this celebration.
There are several ways of getting youth and young adults involved in remembering the dead. We offer three simple ways:1st Prepare the first week before All Souls day a small prayer session to remember family and friends of the members of your group; within in this prayer session, make reference to sacred scripture on the importance of honoring the dead. You could also give a brief Catechesis with a reflection. The Catechesis of course can be on why we honor and pray for the dead, while the reflection could be used to help youth and young adults remember. There will be moments of joy, tears, and sometimes sadness, in the presence of good friends who can learn and share experiences of their loved ones. At the end of the reflection, leaders can prayer out loud or silence for those who have past away.
I can remember when I went to visit friends of the family whose mother passed away due to a severe heart attack. The mother was from a Christian denomination of the Pentecostal Church. I understood that in her tradition, they did not teach or believed in praying for the dead, but could I really let the sons suffer by not saying their “good byes”? I led them in prayer that went so close to honoring the saints, even in honoring the dead and at the end of the prayer I invited them to say their last words to their mother. I told them, “tell her what you would have wanted her to hear, what you wished to say to her before she passed on.” They had no chance to say “good bye”, to say “I love you”, to say “I’m sorry mom”. To me it would only seem natural and supernatural to mourn the death of a loved one, and even more, to say the things that are most important from our hearts. Leading in this session, the sons began to pour out their hearts. Tears of sorrow became tears of joy, because they got a chance to talk to her, they had the chance to simply pray for the dead.
My point is this – use the group as a means to move hearts to pray for their loved ones. You’d be surprised of the reaction and the peace your members will have after prayer.
2nd Ask members to write the names of family members and friends who have died. Give them to the priest to offer these name during the Mass of All Souls.3rd Invite the members of the group to participate at the Mass. Let the pastor or priest offering the Mass know that the group will attend and would like to participate. A great way to participate is having members read the names of those who have died during the year between November 1st of the last year to this year (Example: Nov. 2, 2006 to Nov. 2nd, 2007). If you have a youth group, encourage not only the youth to participate, but also their parents. Your pastor or priest will see this as an opportunity to evangelize, to catechize and to pastorally guide those still hurting the loss of a loved one.
Bringing our youth and young adults into these special celebrations helps beginner and lukewarm Catholics to become stronger in their faith. They can capture the importance of our spirituality, our traditions and our purpose in loving the one Man who saved our lives, Jesus! Praise be God, in His angels and in His Saints.
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