What We Shall be has Not Yet Been Revealed: Reflections on readings for Allhallowtide Triduum

Allhallowtide. From Goodcatholic.com: “These three days taken together—October 31st, November 1st, and November 2nd, which celebrate the major feast of All Saints Day and the smaller feast of All Souls Day—are the “Days of the Dead,” a triduum of feasts also called Allhallowtide, Hallowtide, or Hallowmas (Hallow meaning holy and mas meaning Mass).”

These three days bring together the three segments of the communion of saints to which we express our belief in the Creed. They are the Church Triumphant (all the saints in Heaven), the Church Suffering (the holy souls in Purgatory), and those believers here on earth, the Church Militant. When I was younger I didn’t fully understand this, even though I remember during confirmation studies that confirmation makes us soldiers of Jesus. I also didn’t understand the concept of Spiritual Warfare in which we are so clearly engaged these days.

In a homily in November 1972 Pope St. Paul VI noted: “The evil which exists in the world is the result and the effect of an attack on society by a dark and hostile agent, the devil. Evil is not only a privation but a living, spiritual corrupt and corrupting being. A terrible reality, mysterious and frightening. The testimony of both Bible and Church tells us that people refuse to acknowledge his existence, … or is explained away as a pseudo-reality, …”

Our best weapon in spiritual warfare is prayer. And the greatest prayer we have is that which Jesus left us, the mass. All Saints Day is a holy day of obligation, so make sure you get to mass that day. The following day, All Souls Day, is also a great opportunity for mass and to honor and pray for all of the faithful departed.

As might be expected, the first reading for the Feast of All Saints is from the Book of Revelation. The author, identified as the apostle St. John, describes his vision “of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue.” And who made up this great multitude in their white robes? The elder told John, "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." In other words, they are the saints in heaven. They surround the throne in the presence of God and the Lamb.

In the responsorial we declare, “Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.” We are those people, longing to see the face of the God of Jacob. And who can do this? “One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.” In other words, we must work constantly to purify our hearts and seek humility. To fight this spiritual war we need grace which can be obtained through humility. “... the grace of the Holy Spirit seeks always the humble heart.” Thomas a’ Kempis, Imitation of Christ. God enriches the soul which empties itself of everything.

The first letter of St. John continues the exhortation to purity. “Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure.” We aspire to our heavenly home, to what we will become, to wear those robes made “white in the Blood of the Lamb.” John also alludes to the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” However, we know from Jesus’s preaching and the Bible in general that the evil ones, led by Satan, know Him and this knowledge leads them to attack us, who are followers of the Lamb. Thus we cannot lapse in our fight in this spiritual war. “Spiritual warfare is a commitment for every day and for every hour. Fr. Livio Fanzaga, The Deceiver.

In the gospel we get Jesus’s prescription for how to live our lives, The Beatitudes. To get to heaven we must obtain the blessing of God. We see here some of the same themes from the earlier readings: “poor in spirit” and the meek (humility); the clean of heart (purity); and those persecuted for Jesus’s sake. These are all things we should strive for. And while many of these things relate to our attitude and outlook on life and faith, they also relate to how we treat others: peacemakers, those who show mercy, those who mourn, and the righteous.

Of significant importance at this time, as noted in these readings, is doing our best to purify our hearts. The best way to do this is through the sacrament of Confession (or Penance, or Reconciliation, if you prefer). Confession is not only a way to bring our souls back to God but it is also an act of humility. “Though we deny guilt, it still persists. A great majority of people today that are taking psychiatric treatments would be better if they knelt down at the foot of a crucifix and if they came to the priest in Confession instead of rationalizing the way they live.” (Fulton Sheen, On the Demonic)

I spoke earlier of prayer. The prayers of the righteous are spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments: “The prayer of the humble pierces the clouds, and it will not rest until it reaches its goal; it will not desist until the Most High responds and does justice for the righteous and executes judgment: (Sir. 35:21-22. NRSV).” And this from St. James: “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.” (Jas 5:16)

And of special note during this time of prayer, especially for the souls in purgatory, is the opportunity to gain indulgences for them. Many saints have spoken about praying for those in purgatory to gain their release.

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."

"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin." The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church -CCC-1471)

Per the USCCB Manual of Indulgences (for the departed):

29. A Plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful who:
29.1.1 on any and each day from Nov 1 to 8 devoutly visit a cemetery [even non-Catholic] and pray, if only mentally, for the departed;
29.1.2 on All Souls Day devoutly visit a church or oratory and recite an Our Father and the Creed.
29.2 A partial indulgence, applicable only to the souls in Purgatory, is granted to the faithful who:
29.2.1 devoutly visit a cemetery and at least mentally pray for the dead;
29.2.2 devoutly recite Lauds or Vespers from the Office of the Dead, or say the prayer Eternal Rest.

NOTE: Personal indulgences have additional requirements.

Looking ahead to All Souls Day, the readings have additional lessons. From Wisdom we get, “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” It even alludes to purgatory, “As gold in the furnace, he proved them.” For the responsorial we get the fabulous 23rd Psalm about the Lord shepherding His souls and protecting them from evil. With God we shall want for nothing. As C.S. Lewis said, “He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.” C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory.

In the reading from Romans, St. Paul tells us that if we have died with Christ through baptism we have a share in His resurrection, providing we are no longer slaves to sin. Similarly, in the gospel Jesus reminds us that if we are one with Him, He will raise us on the last day.

Thus, the triduum of Allhallowtide is a sign of hope, not only for the departed souls, but for ourselves as well. Our prayers for our departed family members and all the departed have real effect, and we should not take them lightly.