Sermon - All Saints' Day

Back in the middle ages in England and Ireland a the particular practice known as “souling” began among the poor and continued into the 20th century… The custom originated in pre-Reformation days, when singers went about on All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, November 1 and 2, to beg for cakes in remembrance of the dead. The "soulers," as the singers were called, droned out little ditties repeatedly, tonelessly, without pause or variation. Shakespeare even speaks of the practice in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

The soulers visited houses of the rich, sang a song, and collected money, food, drink, or whatever was given to them… In return the soulers would most often receive a cake.. known as a soul-cake.. the idea behind it all was that the soulers would pray for the departed of the rich home owner.. in order to get them out of purgatory all the more quickly… often times the soul cakes would a note tied to it.. known as soul-papers with the name of the person to be prayed for written on it… it was believed that whenever a soul-cake was eaten that the soul was released from purgatory… One of the little ditties…

Soul, soul for a souling cake
I pray you, missis, for a souling cake
Apple or pear, plum or cherry
Anything good to make us merry
Up with your kettles and down with your pans
Give us an answer and we'll be gone

Well.. I must say that we have come a long ways from those ditties.. we are much more sophisticated now… for example.. “Trick or treat.. smell my feet.. give me something good to eat.”… no more of that business of praying for souls.. instead.. we give a veiled threat of mischief if some treat is not provided… this along with the idea of costumes.. getting all dressed up to look like your favorite superhero.. to a ghosty of some scary type.. I’ve even heard of folks dressing up like a priest – go figure… this idea of dressing up actually traces back to Celtic traditions.. when on all Hallows Eve – Halloween – young men would dress up as spirits in order to copy and placate the evil spirits around them…

Some Christian churches look down on Halloween – it reminding them of the occult and other evils, but for me.. I like it.. especially when there are a few KitKat Bars left over

Even though the holiday did originate from earlier pagan celebrations.. for the church – All Saints’ Day – has become a day when we honor those who have died.. and especially those great – capital “S” – saints that have gone before us… those who have lived their lives in such a manner that they are worthy to be honored and emulated… I have a few favorites of my own.. The Blessed Virgin.. The Archangel Michael.. John the Baptist.. Antony.. and Padre Pio..

Listen to these words of Thomas a Kempis as he speaks on the saints… “To the world they were strangers, but they were the close and intimate friends of God… to themselves they seemed as nothing, and by men they were despised, but in the sight of God they were precious and beloved… they persevered in true humility.. they lived in simple obedience, they practiced charity and patience, and so they advanced every day in the spiritual life, and gained favor before God. They were sent as an example to all religious, and our ardor should be quickened by the virtue of these few, rather than damped by the indifference of the many.”

However.. as great as those capital “S” saints are … Barbara Brown Taylor – One of our better modern day theologians.. makes a very bold claim about us… she says that “we have the same blood running in our veins—Christ’s blood—and the same light we see shining in them shines in us too.”…

We look at those famous saints of old… St. Peter… St. Theresa of Avilla… St. Martin of Tours.. St. Francis de Salles… and we say, “Wow! What great men and women these were.” But.. there is nothing they had.. that we don’t have… What is that?... Well.. just like Jesus called Lazarus from death into life.. he also called these great saints from death into life… and he has called us from death into life.

If that is the case.. which it is… then what holds us back?... Why doesn’t the same light that shined in them not shine in us… Our Gospel reading provides a glimpse of the answer… Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth… then… Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

I believe the reason we don’t always shine like those great saints.. is that we are still bound up in those strips of cloth… Our grave clothes are still wrapped around us.. Yes.. we have been called into new life.. and yes we have thrown off the shackles of death… but for whatever reason.. we still hide.. and I believe that is the right word.. we hide in those grave clothes.. out of fear… fear of how we might have to change.. fear of what others will think.. fear of what God might call us to..

Yet.. as St. John Vianney – the patron saint of priests states.. “The Saints were so completely dead to themselves that they cared very little whether others agreed with them or not.”.. not that they were arrogant.. but that they were not afraid to become – in the words of St. Paul, “fools for Christ.”.. they were not afraid to strip off their grave clothes.. and put on the new life of Christ..

But there is one other point… from the Gospel… “Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”… Please note.. Lazarus could not do it on his own… it took the support of others to help free him from his grave clothes.. in a similar manner.. as saints of God.. we too are to assist one another in stripping off those grave clothes.. we are to encourage one another.. support one another.. build one another up into those saints that we already are.

Let us pray… Almighty and everlasting God, Who has enabled us to honor in one solemn feast the merits of all Your Saints: we beseech You, that, with so many praying for us, You would pour forth on us the abundance of Your mercy for which we long. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.