All Saints Day (November 1) is a day to remember we are borne on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. There are countless women, men, and children of every age who embodied the faith and left breadcrumbs along the path to nourish us on our way. Most of them are not known to us, but the faith and love they released into the universe abides in our time.
All Saints Day reaches back to the early years of the church when many Christians were martyred for their faith. Veneration of the martyrs was a strong emphasis in the life of the early Christian church. Their graves became sites of pilgrimage and the anniversary of a martyr’s death became a day of remembering their lives and the sacrifices made for the faith.
Over time came the realization that not all saints were martyrs and the breadth of All Saints Day was increased. Pope Gregory III (731-741) is credited with establishing All Saints Day on November 1st. It was a way of unifying the varied celebrations of saints into one day. According to Christianity.com “The date was chosen to coincide with the dedication of a chapel in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to “All the Saints.”
Today, All Saints Day is a day to honor all the saints, living and dead, well known or unknown who further the revealing of God’s realm in our midst. It is also a day to personally remember the people who have guided and encouraged our faith. Take a moment and remember the friends and relatives who have encouraged your journey of faith. Whisper their name like a prayer.
It is important to remember that sainthood is conferred by God and not by institutions. Sainthood embraces anyone who lives the faith and embodies trust in Christ. Paul wrote, “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (I Corinthians 1:2). In this and several other places in the New Testament it is clear that sainthood is used to describe anyone who is an example of faith and trust in Jesus Christ. It means you or I can be saints. It means that those who are raised up before you as giants in the faith are saints.
Here is an All Saints Blessing from Jan Richardson
Blessing: For Those Who Walked With Us
For those who walked with us,
this is a prayer.
For those who have gone ahead,
this is a blessing.
For those who touched and tended us,
who lingered with us while they lived,
this is a thanksgiving.
For those who journey still with us
in the shadows of awareness,
in the crevices of memory
in the landscape of our dreams,
this is a benediction.
Blessing to you as you remember and celebrate the saints in your life.
Sources
Christianity.com
The Painted Prayerbook
The Irreverent Reverend 