This paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Three States of the Church. Those three states are; the Church Militant, the Church Suffering, and the Church Triumphant. On November 1st, we celebrate, All Saints Day. We honor the Church Triumphant: those who are in glory knowing God as he truly is.
“When the Lord comes in glory, death will be no more. And all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified. While still others are in glory, contemplating ‘in full light, God himself triune and one, exactly as he is.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 954).
All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation. This means, we as practicing Catholics are obliged to attend Mass, no matter the day of the week. Why is this day so significant? There are feast days for various saints every day. Why choose one day of the year that we are obliged to celebrate a feast for all the saints?
Origins of All Saints Day:
All Saints Day was first established by Pope Boniface IV in May, 609 AD. Originally, the feast day was created to honor all the Roman Martyrs who gave their lives to begin the Church. Pope Gregory III moved the feast to November in 837 AD and included all the saints in heaven with it.
We honor All Saints for two reasons: One, because they are worthy of our admiration. Two, because we seek their intercession in our lives.
“I want to spend my Heaven in doing good on earth.”
St. Therese of Lisieux said: “I want to spend my Heaven in doing good on earth.” The saints want to pray for us. They want to intercede for us. Praying with them does not retract from the glory our prayer gives God. The saints are our heavenly companions, our prayer partners. Just as we gather in church every Sunday to pray, we can also gather in the company of saints.
How many biographies exist about great people? Why do we bother reading history about figures like George Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.? Saints are people who have lived before us and left the world a better place. They are worthy of our admiration and respect. We can learn how to live better lives because of them. For these two main reasons, the Catholic Church has established All Saints Day.
The Church Triumphant:
On November 1st, we will all attend Mass to honor the Church Triumphant. We, the Church Militant, look to the saints to follow in their paths to Heaven. Especially on this day, we can invoke them to pray with us that we will join them in Heaven. This feast day is a beautiful gift we can all partake in every year. Mass is the closest we can ever be to Heaven on earth, receiving Christ in the Eucharist. How amazing will it be when we also triumph over death and sin? We will hopefully one day join the Triumphant in Heaven in the eternal glory of God.
