English: All Saints’ Day,
Holy Cross Cemetery, Gniezno, Poland.
Flowers and Candles placed to honour deceased relatives.
Español: Celebración de Todos los Santos,
cementerio de la Santa Cruz, Gniezno, Polonia.
Polski: Uroczystość Wszystkich Świętych,
Cmentarz św. Krzyża w Gnieźnie, Polska.
Photo: 1 November 2017.
Source: Own work.
Author: Diego Delso
delso.photo, Licence CC-BY-SA
(Wikipedia)
Flower image: HERITAGE TYPE CO
Text from “The Liturgical Year”.
By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
Volume 15.
Time After Pentecost.
Book VI.
The Octave Day Of All Saints.
8 November.
How could we more appropriately conclude the teachings of this Octave than by quoting the words used by The Church, herself, in today’s Liturgy ?
“Strangers as we are, and pilgrims on the Earth, let us fix our hearts and our thoughts on the day which will give to each of us a home, and restore us to Paradise.
“Who, that is on a voyage, would not hasten to return to his Country ! Who, that is on the way home, would not eagerly desire a favourable wind, that he might the sooner embrace his dear ones !
“Parents, brothers, children, friends in multitudes impatiently await us in our Heavenly fatherland; Blessed crowd ! Already secure of their own eternal happiness, they are soliticitous about our salvation.
“What joy for them and for us, when, at length, we see them and they may embrace us !
“How great the delight of that Heavenly Kingdom: No more fear of death; but eternal and supreme happiness ! Let all our earnest desires tend to this: That we may be united with The Saints, that, together with them, we may possess Christ”. [Editor: Saint Cyprian. “De Mortalitate”, xxvi.]
These enthusiastic words, borrowed from Saint Cyprian’s beautiful book “On The Mortality”, are used by The Church in her Second Nocturn; and, in the Third Nocturn, she gives us the strong language of Saint Augustine, consoling the Faithful, who are obliged still to remain in exile, by reminding them of the great beatitude of this Earth.
The beatitude of those who are persecuted and cursed by the World. To suffer gladly for Christ is the Christian’s glory, the invisible beauty which wins for his Soul the good pleasure of God, and procures him a great reward in Heaven. [Editor: Saint Augustine. “De Sermone Domini in monte”, lib. i. cap. v.]
“He that hurteth, let him hurt still”, says Our Lord; “and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is Just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his works.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end”. Patience, then, Christians ! Patience, all who are now despised, “for time is short; the fashion of this World passeth away !”
It is in the light of our Baptism that we must look upon those foolish men who think themselves strong because they are violent; who call themselves wise, because pleasure is their only law.
When the Man-God, “with the spirit of His mouth”, shall take vengeance on Satan their leader, their lot will be the indignant sentence heard by the Prophet of Patmos: “Without are dogs, murderers, everyone that loveth and maketh a lie”.
Meanwhile, the whole creation, which they made the unwilling slave of their corruption, will answer to their disgraceful fall by a triumphant song of deliverance. Itself will be transformed into a new Heavens and a new Earth.
It will partake of the glory of the children of God, delivered like itself, and will be worthy to contain the new Jerusalem, the Holy City, where in our flesh we shall see God; and where, seated at the right-hand of The Father in The Person of Jesus Christ, our glorified human nature will enjoy for ever the honours of a bride.
Let us go in spirit to Rome, and direct our steps towards the ancient Church, on The Cœlian Hill, which bears the name of The Four Crowned Martyrs.
There are few Saints whose acts have been more disparaged “by a superficial criticism ignorant of archæological science”, such as that of the 16th-, 17th-, and 18th-Centuries. But now “the history and traditions relating to the august monument on The Cœlian Hill have been restored to honour by learned men and antiquaries, whom no-one could accuse of superstition, or of a blind credulity with regard to Mediæval legends”. [De Rossi. “Bulletin”. 1879.]
Such is the unanswerable decision of the Commandant de Rossi. Let us, then, with The Holy Liturgy, offer our homage and Prayers to the Titular Saints of this venerable Church, who once held Offices of trust in the Empire; and let us not forget those other Martyrs, the five sculptors, who, like the former, preferred death to infidelity and now share the glory of their tomb.
Prayer.
Præsta, quæsumus omnipotens Deus: ut, qui gloriosos martyres fortes in sua confessione congovimus, pios apud te in nostra intercessione sentiamus.
Per Dominum . . .
Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that we, who know Thy glorious Martyrs to have been strong in their confession of Thee, may experience their compassion by their interceding for us with Thee.
Through Our Lord . . .
Let us honour all The Saints by a Sequence long sung on this Octave Day by The Church of Seville.
Sequence.
Ad honorem Salvatoris . . .
To the honour of Our Saviour . . .
Let us Pray for our dear departed ones.
The Missals of several Churches furnish us with this earnest supplication.
Sequence.
De profundis exclamantes . . .
As we cry out from the depths . . .
