Saints’ holy lives a model for all, says CBCP head

AS the whole Christendom celebrates the feast of all saints, millions of Filipinos, whether here or abroad, troop to cemeteries to light a candle and pray for their dead.

Catholic tradition celebrates the feast of All Saints on November 1, followed by a day dedicated to the poor souls in purgatory on November 2. Individually and as groups, people across the country trudge to cemeteries on these days to pray for their dead loved ones.

CBCP president and Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo said Church history is filled with stories of people who have lived heroic lives as followers of Christ, men and women who have been proclaimed by the Church as saints in heaven.

“Their lives of faithfulness to Christ and of holiness serve as models for the Christian community,” he said.

But he also said Filipinos now need not only look for models at the saints we know, even among fellow Filipinos who have lived exemplary lives.

Just like the saints, the heroes of our time possess qualities worthy of emulation, Lagdameo said.

They can be models of morality, honesty, uprightness, diligence and trustworthiness, the prelate added.

Among others, he cited the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, as someone who can stand as a model for everybody in search of change and renewal not only for oneself but also for the country.

The values that characterize the life of these heroic people can serve as model for everyone to imitate, the outgoing CBCP president said.

Memorial for unnamed saints

The celebration of All Saints Day honors those who have lived commendable Christian life on earth and are now in heaven. Since not all the saints are given a specific feast day, the Church for practical and pastoral reasons has designated a particular day to celebrate all the saints in heaven.

“November 1 is a memorial day especially for the many unnamed, unknown or unrecognized saints, inhabitants of heaven,” Lagdameo explained.

He said putting aside a day during the year to celebrate all the saints make up for the “deficiency in our celebration of the saint’s feast during the year.”

Feast of all martyrs

Historically known as the feast of all martyrs, in particular the martyrs during the persecution in the early centuries, All Saints day used to be celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost.

It was later transferred to November 1 during the time of Pope Gregory III who, in the 8th century dedicated a new chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica and for the first time celebrated the feast for all the saints.

The celebration was later extended to the universal Church by Pope Gregory IV in the 9th century.

All Souls Day

Lagdameo explained that it is part of Church’s teachings that the soul of anyone who had died needs to be “purified” before it can enter heaven.
But he added the Church “has no official teaching as to the place and duration and nature of this purification.”

“The Church believes that there is purification of believers prior to entering heaven and that, prayers and masses of the faithful benefit those in the state of purgation,” he said.

Lagdameo noted that it was the Church Fathers who expounded the idea of “purgation of sin through fire after death.”

“All Souls Day is an opportunity to remember, to pray for and offer Masses to our departed in the state of purification,” he added.

The practice of praying for the dead dates back to the time of early persecutions of Christians. Then Christians would gather in catacombs to pray for their dead believing that their prayers would deliver the soul of the dead from purgatory. The significance of praying for the dead is also mentioned in the Scriptures.

Bringing food and other practices

Current practices being observed during the feasts are bringing of food for the dead and decorating graves of loved ones with lights and other ornaments, aside from the usual candles and flowers.

Lagdameo said it is very important to have prayers and masses offered for the deceased.

“The souls in purgatory need our prayers more than the distracting music and party atmosphere that characterize our current way of remembering the dead,” he said.

In some cemeteries and memorial parks, families stay for three days to keep vigil. Prayers and chants recited for the dead oftentimes compete with the noise of endless chatter of people and loud music coming from karaokes.

Although the fiesta-like celebration is a manifestation of the thought that the deceased are already in heaven, Lagdameo said still “it is good to observe a subdued atmosphere in the cemetery so that those who want to pray can pray well.”

“It is good to observe a religious atmosphere especially in catholic cemeteries,” he stressed.

“My advice to the faithful is to offer special prayers to the dead on these days. It is the most important thing we can do for them more than anything else,” the prelate added.