All Saints Day

   It is fitting to celebrate the Saints in Heaven with a day dedicated to them.  We hope one day to join them in everlasting joy before the throne of God. As it says in one of my missals, "Among those millions of the just who were faithful disciples of Jesus on earth, are several of our own family, relations, friends, members of our parochial family, now enjoying the fruit of their piety, adoring the Lord, King of kings, and Crown of all Saints, and obtaining for us the wished for abundance of His mercies."

   Not just the saints recognized in the Church calendar are celebrated today.  All of us are called to be saints.  All souls rejoicing in the presence of God are saints. Each of us must aspire to join them.

   In the Pantheon, built by Agrippa in Rome, were statues of all the pagan gods.  Stripped of its idols, it was later consecrated as a church, dedicated to Mary and the martyrs. Many of the early martyrs' remains were translated there from the catacombs to be re-interred. Later still, it was dedicated not only to the martyrs, but to all the saints in heaven.  Pope St. Gregory VII set the date for the Feast of All Saints , to mark forever the triumph of Christ over false gods.

   In the liturgy of the day, the Church shows us, with St. John, from the Apocalypse, a wonderful vision of heaven - the "twelve thousand signed" (twelve considered the perfect number) - of each tribe of Israel, and a great multitude to numerous to count from every nation, people and tongue. All stand before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes with palms in their hands (the Epistle: Apocalypse 7:2-12).  Christ, Our Lady, the blessed angels distributed in nine choirs, the apostles and prophets, martyrs crimsoned in their blood, confessors in white, and the chaste choir of virgins form the heavenly court. Quoting from my missal, "It is composed of all those who here below were detached from worldly riches, gentle, suffering, just, merciful, pure, peaceful and persecuted for the name of Jesus."  The Gospel of the day (Matthew 5: 1-12) tells us as Christ foretold, "Rejoice, for a great reward is prepared for you in heaven."

This is a beautiful hymn, sung at Vespers on All Saints Day:

Placare Christe Servulis

O Christ, thy guilty people spare!
Lo, bending at Thy gracious throne,
Thy Virgin Mother pours her prayer,
Imploring pardon for her own.

Ye Angels, happy evermore!
Who in your circles nine ascend,
As ye have guarded us before,
So still from harm our steps defend.

Ye Prophets, and Apostles high!
Behold our penitential tears,
And plead for us when death is nigh,
And our all-searching Judge appears.

Ye Martyrs all! a purple band
And Confessors, a white-robed train;
Oh, call us to our native land
From this our exile, back again.

And ye, O choirs of virgins chaste;
Receive us to your seats on high;
With Hermits whom the desert waste
Sent up of old into the sky.

Drive from the flock, O Spirits blest!
The false and faithless race away:
That all within one fold may rest,
Secure beneath one Shepherd's sway.

To God the Father glory be
And to His sole-begotten Son;
The same, O Holy Ghost, to Thee
While everlastig ages run.
       Amen.

                                                  Rejoice in the Lord and exult, ye just.
                                                  And be filled with glory, all ye upright of heart.