24 OCTOBER 2023
November is the month of holy souls, a month when we celebrate the saints and remember the faithful departed. It begins with All Hallows-tide, as November 1 is All Saints, and November 2 is All Souls. Halloween is simply the Eve of All Saints, and on Halloween Christians mock death. Similar to many Christian festivals such as Christmas, Halloween has taken on secular habits, but the roots are Christian.
St. Mark’s will have Solemn Masses with choir at 6:30 pm on both All Saints and All Souls. On All Saints Day we celebrate the great cloud of witnesses who have triumphed in the faith. On All Souls Day we remember our departed loved ones who have gone before us into Christ. All Saints is very much like Easter, full of joy and celebration, while All Souls gives us space to reflect, and even mourn, such as we do at funerals.
The whole month of November continues these themes of reflecting on the saints and remembering the dead. It is not the case so much anymore, due to the decline of daily masses being celebrated in churches, but in the past it was common, especially in Anglo-Catholic churches, that whenever there was a free day in the calendar during November, the daily mass would be a Low Mass of Requiem.
These requiem masses would remember the rich variety of the departed. For instance, there might be a requiem mass for the homeless departed - people that society disregards and forgets, and who will most likely not have a burial service. There might be a requiem mass for police officers killed in the line of duty, or firefighters who paid the ultimate price. There might be a requiem mass for the victims of warfare and violence, or for the victims of wildfires, a tragedy especially relevant to Hawai‘i. There might be a requiem mass for those whose families disregard the wishes of the Christian departed - cases in which the family fails to coordinate a burial. This happens more often than people realize. Even when the departed plan their burials, family members sometimes disregard such plans, especially if it means more money in the pockets of the descendants. In any case, these simple Requiem Low Masses would be said quietly in the course of the church’s daily mass schedule and calendar.
Everyone avoids talking about death. No one wants to take the time to think about their own death. Still, as we know from recent deaths in the parish, death comes, and we must prepare ourselves. The good news is that Christians do not need to fear death. Christ has vanquished death, and we have Easter hope. The saints knew this truth, and the holy souls discover this truth. I know that society will rush us into Christmas this November, but it is well worth it to allow November to be the month of saints and souls. Life after death, the resurrection of the dead, the communion of saints, and the inheritance of the holy souls are all great mysteries of our faith. These mysteries deserve our attention.
Blessings to you this All Hallows-tide,
Father Paul Lillie +
