Feast of All Saints of Ireland

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ISTOCK
November starts with a bang - or with hundreds of them - fireworks and bangers going off every night.

Spiritually, too, it starts big, with a triduum – three days dedicated to remembrance of those who have died: the eve of All Hallows, All Saints Day, and All Souls Day.

Commemorating the dead continues this week with another All Saints Day. Today we celebrate all the Irish Saints, both those recognised by the Church and those who are not yet, or may never be, canonised.

For Dominicans, another triduum begins tomorrow as we commemorate all the Saints of the Order of Preachers and all our deceased Dominican Sisters and Brothers.


November is the month of the dead, of the holy souls, of the saints.
If November starts well, we don’t always persevere in our remembrance of the dead, despite our good intentions.
Even before Halloween, the shops begin to fill with all things Christmas. The commercial world would have us quickly move on from the supposed darkness of the dead. We could be forgiven for quickly forgetting this or for choosing instead to switch our focus to seemingly brighter and happier things.

Yet, the Church (wisely) sets aside this month to focus our attention on the dead. It is a time to remember those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, the official and unofficial saints. November reminds us to pray for them and invites us to look to the example of their lives.
Today’s feast extends beyond those officially canonised as saints of Ireland to include all who had a reputation for holiness.

As Pope Francis reminds us the saints are not perfect. Neither do all saints live extraordinary lives. Like us, they are ordinary people. Like us, their lives mixed joy and sorrow, difficulties, failure, and success. The saints show us that we are all called to holiness and that holiness is not the preserve of the few. They can serve as signposts for our lives and as models for us to emulate.

Saints are people who pay attention. They pay attention to the presence of God in their hearts and to God’s presence in others.
Saints are people who love God and who recognise that God loves them. They so wholeheartedly live from that knowledge of being loved by God that this is evident to those around them.
They are the ones who show us how to live in God’s love, how to live as God desires.
Saints are people through whom the light of God shines into the world.


Look at the person nearest to you.
Quite possibly, you are right next to a future saint. Quite possibly, they are too!

Holiness is the vocation of each one of us. We are all called to be saints.

How do we answer that call? 
It’s quite simple and exceedingly difficult. 
Accept that God loves you. Live from that love.
What does it mean to do that?
It is to live a life of holiness. It is to love others. It is to be brave in your faith and in your love of God. It is to let the light of God shine in you and through you. It is to remember, as St Paul teaches, that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.”

But sainthood is not born of ourselves but of God. It is God’s grace working in us and through us that leads us to sainthood. What is more, as any of the saints will share, it requires both perseverance and prayer.

Let us pray for all the faithful departed during this month.
Let us look to the example of their lives and seek to imitate them.
Let us call on the saints, on that ‘cloud of witnesses’, to pray for us and to intercede for us.
And let us, like them, ask God for help.


Holy men and women of Ireland, pray for us.

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