For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blest.
Alleluia, Alleluia! …And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Today is Western All Saints’ Day. For various not-important historical reasons, the East and the West ended up with All Saints’ Day that were half a year apart from each other. But, I grew up in the West, and so even though I am Orthodox, my Latino side emotionally sees today as All Saints’ Day, the day following the night of the Día de los Muertos. Last night Latinos remembered two things. On the one hand, there are demons; there are “old gods;” there are things that go bump in the night. We know that. We remember that. We acknowledge that. But, on the other hand, they are ultimately restrained and tied by a chain. And so, a large underlying theme of Día de los Muertos is that we can dress up; we can make fun of the “old gods.” I agree that there is syncretism in some of the celebrations in some areas. But, ultimately the “old gods” only “rule” for a night, and the syncretism is not present everywhere. And even then their rule is marked with mockery of them. Ultimately, until the Last Days, until the last battle, Día de los Muertos passes every year, and All Saints Day dawns. Ultimately, the “rule” of the “old gods” is no rule at all. It passes like a whisper in the night.
And in the sunrise the Masses begin, all across the city, all across the countryside. In various countries, it is a holiday to allow people to attend church. The martyrs are remembered; the confessors are remembered; the saints are remembered. “For all the saints who from their labors rest ….” More than that, the liturgies remind us that there is more yet to come, that there is a new and future day, a day that has already begun but is not yet fully here. The day gives us strength. If the previous night reminds us that evil is real and that we must never underestimate that evil, the day tells us that we can endure, that we can last, for victory shall arrive. “And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.” All Saints’ Day is not simply a memorial day. It is a day that strengthens us to keep marching forward until the victory comes. The “old gods” are still around. They roar like lions and can still cause damage. Battles are still fought; martyrs still die. Some have called the Church Militant the walking wounded, and there is some truth to that. But, then “steals on the ear the distant triumph song” and we are reminded that the Church Triumphant awaits us and that someday there will be no Church Militant, only the Church Triumphant.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
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