All Faithful Departed (All Souls' Day) - November 2

The Glorious Company of the Saints in Light

All sorts of cultural traditions, liturgical traditions and superstitions are associated with this day, November 2, known as All Souls’ Day. In our calendar it is called All Faithful Departed. I have resisted celebrating it in the parish in part because I don’t like to differentiate between saints. Why should the famous saints get their own day, All Saints’ Day, and the rest of us are shunted off like a postscript to the next day? We are ALL saints, so ALL SAINTS’ DAY should be enough.

A number of things led me to reconsider that position. As I have said, I’ve come to think that All Souls’ Day presents an opportunity to do powerful pastoral liturgy.

As a liturgical celebration, it’s new to me, so I’ve been reading up. Any commemoration of this day was abolished at the time of the Reformation because it was associated with Roman Catholic abuses of masses for the dead. But it has found its way back into our calendar. It seems to meet a need. Guidelines for liturgical rituals for this day vary. Some stress this service as a Requiem. Others emphasize its association with All Saints’ Day. It is both.

And it seems to me that may be the most important message of this day. This day, this commemoration, is both requiem for the dead and celebration of the communion of all saints. And it reminds us that every Requiem service is a Saints’ day service. A service commemorating the saint who has died. We talk a lot about burial services as Easter services, and of course they are primarily services of the resurrection. But every burial service is also a saints’ day service. We remind ourselves of that today. You know we celebrate the famous saints on their death days… the day they entered into the “glorious company of the saints in light.”

The glorious company of the saints in light. That phrase is from the commendation that we say at every burial service. “Into your hands we commend your servant: Receive her in the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and in to the glorious company of the saints in light.”

All the faithful departed are now among the saints in light. And tonight we surround our memories of them with light to help us remember that they are among the glorious company of the saints in light. Saints and light go together.

Light is powerful. Literally and metaphorically. Light brings hope, casting out darkness. Even the tiniest candle cannot be defeated by the dark. Light is unconquerable. Light illuminates, making the truth of God’s love clear and radiant. Light guides, showing the path that is steady and safe. Light warms and enfolds. And I’m not sure why, but light celebrates. Light’s shimmering brightness enkindles rejoicing.

Today we remember that all of the faithful departed are the glorious company of the saints in light.