The end of October brings with it the anticipation of the two great feasts of All Saints Day on November 1 and All Souls Day on November 2. The solemnity of All Saints invites us to gratefully remember and to joyfully celebrate all the “officially” canonized saints of the Church, along with all the dear saints canonized in our hearts, who have gone before us into the glory of heaven. All Souls Day, also known as The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, is the day on which we especially remember and pray for the eternal life and everlasting peace of all who have gone before us in faith, with great trust in God’s promise to raise us from death and bless us with immortality in Christ.
These two special days have some added significance for me this year as I share this October 2024 message with you. My oldest brother, Brian, died quickly and unexpectedly last month on September 11. While he had been dealing with some serious health issues, his death still came as a shock and a surprise in its speed and suddenness. He went home to God that evening, a few short hours after collapsing on the sidewalk outside his home in the late afternoon. I remember later that evening being so comforted and so consoled by the thought of Brian’s reunion with our mother and father - all of them now freed from suffering, pain, and incompleteness, and raised up into a love and new life stronger than death. Imagining that my parents were there to greet him as Brian entered into eternity and into the company of that great cloud of witnesses singing praise to God was, for me, a profoundly beautiful experience of the communion of saints and the power of Christ’s victory over death. The warm welcome and loving embrace of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, together with my folks and all the saints in glory welcoming Brian to the eternal banquet of unending love, is the promise of our faith and the source of our hope that, in the mystery of dying, life is changed, not ended. I thank God for Jesus and all the saints in glory!
Later in the evening on the day that Brian died, my brother George wrote an email of thanks to the emergency team of doctors, nurses, and staff to express our family’s appreciation for all the great care given to Brian and for the many kind considerations shown to him and to my other three siblings who were there with Brian in the emergency room. One of the doctors wrote back to George thanking him for his kind words and sharing how much the message meant to all of the team. Sending his deepest condolences and wishing our family all the best in our grieving process, the doctor wrote:
A mantra I love goes something like ‘we are just walking each other home’ – you, me, Brian, our nurses, all of us. We’re all just helping each other get closer to home, wherever that is.
The phrases “just walking each other home” and “helping each other get closer to home” have a special resonance for me as this year’s All Saints and All Souls Days dawn upon us. All Saints Day, with its joyful celebration of all the holy ones now in glory, reminds us that heaven is our home and that all our saints, living and deceased, are our companions, our inspiration, and our help for the journey home to God. We are grateful for and are blessed by their witness to the love of God and by their presence, goodness, and intercession on our behalf. They help us, day in and day out, to get closer to home.
On All Souls Day when we commemorate all our faithful departed, our prayerful remembrance becomes a way for us to help our departed brothers and sisters to be at home in the fullness of peace with Jesus and all the saints in glory. Bringing our dear departed to mind and to heart and lifting them up unto the love of Christ is, I am certain, no small help and blessing on their journey home to the place prepared for them from all eternity by the loving God in whose image they were fashioned. And, as well, no small act of holiness and love!
As I thank God for my brother Brian’s life and pray that his soul now rests in peace, I hope and pray that these special days of celebration help deepen our resolve to embrace our shared call to walk each other home. May your celebration of All Saints find you grateful for all the people of your heart and soul who help you get “closer to home.” May your celebration of All Souls help you realize the grace and blessing of being the one to help others get closer to home by your loving presence to them, prayerful remembrance of them, and grateful appreciation for them.
God bless us all! †
Gratefully, Fr. John Collins, C.Ss.R. Provincial Superior