All Saints Day Meditation: Solemnity of All Saints

Tomorrow is the Solemnity of All Saints, commonly called All Saints Day.  It is normally a holy day of obligation but in my neck of the world, since it falls on a Saturday this year, we are excused from the obligation.  Still we are having a special Mass at my parish for those who wish to attend.  Last year we had Cardinal Dolan come in to celebrate the display of relics our pastor, a great collector of relics, placed in cabinets situated about the Church.  https://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/2024/11/faith-filled-friday-all-saints-day-at.html  There will not be a special celebrant this year, but we will celebrate All Saints through those same relics.  It will be special. 

The Gospel passage for All Saints Day is the same every year, the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel.

 

Here is the Gospel passage.

 

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,

and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

He began to teach them, saying:

 

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven."

~Mt 5:1-12

 

This is a beautiful explanation of what All Saints Day is and why we celebrate it, put together by the YouTube channel, Catholic Saints and Feasts.

The one homily I will embed will come from Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington DC speaking on the heroic virtues of St. Dominic de Guzmán.

 

To pray, to bless, to preach!

 

All Saints Day Meditation: "The only real sadness, the only real failure, the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint."  (French Catholic novelist Leon Bloy)

 

Let us honor one of the new saints recently canonized in the last few months, one that is ideal with today’s Gospel, the “Man of the Beatitudes.”

“Jesus comes to me every morning in Holy Communion, and I return the visit in the poor.”  -St. Pier Giorgio Frassati.

Faith Filled Friday: All Saints Day at St. Rita Parish

We had a wonderful All Saints Day evening Mass at my parish, St. Rita of Cascia Church on Staten Island, NY.  Our pastor, Fr. Eugene is a great collector of relics, and he had received permission to display a goodly amount throughout the church.  Cardinal Timothy Dolan, our Archbishop, came by to celebrate the All Saints Day Mass and bless the relic cabinets.  It was a wonderful Mass.  Everything, the service, the incense, the music, the choir, the entrance and closing processions, the homily.  Cardinal Dolan has a great sense of humor.  It was one of the most perfect Masses I have ever attended.

First the entrance procession.

 

Now there are nine relic cabinets throughout the church, each having a dozen or more relics inside.  Here what the cabinets look like.

 

Besides the reliquary of a particular saint, a small statue of that saint might also be beside it.  I’m going to give you a few pictures of saints that are dear to me, mostly saints from the Dominican Order.  The date in the plaque is their feast day.

Let’s start with St. Dominic de Guzman, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Martin de Porres..

 

Saints Patrick and Frances of Assisi

Saint Augustine of Hippo and his mother St. Monica, displayed together.

And for my son, St. Matthew the Evangelist.

One cabinet has only three reliquaries in it, but they are of the upmost importance.  They are from the life of Jesus Christ.

If you can’t read the plaques, they identify “From the Wood of the Cross of Our Lord,” “Relics from the Crib, Rock of the Agony, Column of Flagellation, Lance, and Tomb of Our Lord,” and “From the Holy Seamless Tunic of Our Lord.”

Here are some pictures from the Mass.

Finally, one with the Cardinal blessing one of the cabinets.

All you holy men and women pray for us!

Sunday Meditation: Who Are These Wearing White Robes?

 

For the Solemnity of All Saints, from the Book of Revelation, Rev 7:13-14:

 

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
“Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”

 

For this All Saints Day, enjoy Veronica Morrissey’s beautiful rendition of the Litany of the Saints.

Faith Filled Friday: Quotes from the Saints

I know it’s Halloween, but tomorrow is All Saints Day, and that’s way more important.  The October edition of the devotional magazine Magnificant  had in anticipation of the feast day for saints a list of quotes by some of the most memorable saints in the cannon.  It was one quote per saint, and the list lasted eight and a half pages, which I estimate to be about eighty quotes.  I wasn’t sure how to honor All Saints Day with my Faith Filled Friday category, so I decided to emulate and provide ten memorable quotes by ten different saints.

1."Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort me and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."

            -St. Patrick

2."On the question of relating to our fellowman – our neighbor’s spiritual need transcends every commandment. Everything else we do is a means to an end. But love is an end already, since God is love."

            -St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein)

3. “Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent.”

             -St. John of the Cross

4. “All my pleasure in this land of exile is that of having every kind of suffering found on the cross, deprived of every other consolation except that of the Sacred Heart.”

            -St. Margret Mary Alacoque

5. “Though God hates sin more than any other thing, he loves us poor miserable sinners.  He ardently desires the welfare of our souls as if his own happiness depends on it.”

            -St. John Neumann

6. “A talkative soul lacks both the essential virtues and intimacy with God. A deeper interior life, one of gentle peace and of that silence where the Lord dwells, is quite out of the question. A soul that has never tasted the sweetness of inner silence is a restless spirit which disturbs the silence of others.”

            -St. Faustina

7. “I understood that every flower created by Him is beautiful, that the brilliance of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not lessen the perfume of the violet or the sweet simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all the lowly flowers wished to be roses, nature would no longer be enameled with lovely hues. And so it is in the world of souls, Our Lord's living garden.”

            -St. Thérèse de Lisieux

8. “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

            -St. Augustine of Hippo

9. “Brother wolf, thou hast done much evil in this land, destroying and killing the creatures of God without his permission; yea, not animals only hast thou destroyed, but thou hast even dared to devour men, made after the image of God; for which thing thou art worthy of being hanged like a robber and a murderer. All men cry out against thee, the dogs pursue thee, and all the inhabitants of this city are thy enemies; but I will make peace between them and thee, O brother wolf, if so be thou no more offend them, and they shall forgive thee all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs shall pursue thee anymore.”

            -St. Francis of Assisi

10. “"The soul is in God and God in the soul, just as the fish is in the sea and the sea in the fish."

            -St. Catherine of Siena

I hope you like these.  Our communion of saints provides us with so rich a history and legacy.  Is there any particular saint’s quote you’d like to share?

Faith Filled Friday: Litany of the Saints

I'm going to post this Faith Filled Friday on All Saints Day, which is on November 1st, and next Friday to post on All Souls Day, which is on November 2nd.

I post Veronica Morrissey's musical rendition of the prayer, Litany of the Saints.  I see from Wikipedia that Lutherans, Anglicans, and some Orthodox also share this prayer.  That is interesting

That is such a beautiful rendition.  It comes off of Ms. Morrissey's CD, Songs of Prayer.  Every time Litany of the Saints comes up on my ipod, I stop what I'm doing and listen for all the saints.  That whole CD is special.  I really like her voice.  Now the song curtails this lengthy prayer.  If you want the entire prayer, here it is.

Litany of the Saints

Lord, have mercy on us.  Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.	Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, God the Son, Redeemer of the world, God the Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, one God,	have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us. have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Holy Mother of God, Holy Virgin of virgins, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, All you Holy Angels and Archangels, St. John the Baptist, St. Joseph, All you Holy Patriarchs and Prophets,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. James, St. John, St. Thomas, St. James, St. Philip, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Simon, St. Jude, St. Matthias, St. Barnabas, St. Luke, St. Mark, All you holy Apostles and Evangelists, All you holy Disciples of the Lord, All you holy Innocents,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Stephen, St. Lawrence, St. Vincent, Sts. Fabian and Sebastian, Sts. John and Paul, Sts. Cosmos and Damian, All you holy Martyrs,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Sylvester, St. Gregory, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Martin, St. Nicholas, All you holy Bishops and Confessors, All you holy Doctors,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Anthony, St. Benedict, St. Bernard, St. Dominic, St. Francis, All you holy Priests and Levites, All you holy Monks and Hermits,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
St. Mary Magdalene, St. Agatha, St. Lucy, St. Agnes, St. Cecilia, St. Anastasia, St. Catherine, St. Clare, All you holy Virgins and Widows, All you holy Saints of God,	pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us. pray for us.
Lord, be merciful, From all evil, From all sin, From your wrath, From a sudden and unprovided death, From the snares of the devil, From anger, hatred, and all ill-will, From the spirit of uncleanness, From lightning and tempest, From the scourge of earthquake, From plague, famine, and war, From everlasting death,	Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people.
By the mystery of your holy Incarnation, By your Coming, By your Birth, By your Baptism and holy fasting, By your Cross and Passion, By your Death and Burial, By your holy Resurrection, By your wonderful Ascension, By the coming of the Holy Spirit, On the day of judgment,	Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people. Lord, save your people.
Be merciful to us sinners,	Lord, hear our prayer.
That you will spare us, That you will pardon us, That it may please you to bring us to true penance, Guide and protect your holy Church, Preserve in holy religion the Pope, and all those in holy Orders, Humble the enemies of holy Church, Give peace and unity to the whole Christian people, Bring back to the unity of the Church all those who are straying, and bring all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel, Strengthen and preserve us in your holy service, Raise our minds to desire the things of heaven, Reward all our benefactors with eternal blessings, Deliver our souls from eternal damnation, and the souls of our brethren, relatives, and benefactors, Give and preserve the fruits of the earth, Grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed, That it may please You to hear and heed us, Jesus, Son of the Living God,	Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer. Lord, hear our prayer.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,	Spare us, O Lord! Graciously hear us, O Lord! Have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us,Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.	Christ, graciously hear us Lord Jesus, hear our prayer. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.