All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls Day
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31st Sunday of Ordinary Time
All Hallows Eve, All Saints, and All Souls Day
All Hallowtide is upon us. The word “hallow” literally means “to make holy” or “saint”. And All Hallowtide refers to a 3-day liturgical observance: All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These are the “Days of the Dead”. 31 October, colloquially known as Halloween, is All Hallows Eve, meaning All Saints Eve – the day before the Solemnity of All Saints. Today, Halloween is marked by kids dressing in costumes and receiving candy. There is an excitement for a young person to dress up as their favorite superhero, for instance. And there is a spiritual truth that can be derived from this festivity: we do desire to be like the saints of God, to imitate them in the life of holiness as we all strive to be like Christ. We should want to be like our favorite heroes, the saints, and put on Christ (cf. Ephesians 4:22-24).
On All Hallow’s Eve, one might think of it as a vigil – similar to the Christmas Vigil on Christmas Eve or the solemn and great Vigil of Easter at sundown on Holy Saturday. A vigil is an invitation to more intentional prayer and preparation: preparation for these celebrations of the dead – All Saints and All Souls, and certainly not in a morbid way. Rather, in the sense and spirit of “memento mori”. Memento mori is a Latin phrase that literally points to a formula we might hear on Ash Wednesday at the imposition of ashes on the forehead: remember you are dust and to dust you shall return (Genesis 3:19b). In this sacred and solemn time, we get to take pause, to ponder and pray about what really matters in life, to reassess our priorities, and to focus on things that are eternal, for since “you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2). Our destination is eternal. We are in the world but not of the world. Our call is to be transfigured, to be like Him, for all of us are being transformed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another, and this comes from the Spirit (cf. 2 Cor 3:18)!
All Saints Day! The saints of God have indeed attained the beatific vision: to be able to see Jesus, in his glorified resurrected body, face-to-face. It is in seeing the vision of God in the beatific vision that leads to the change, the final transformation of the human person to become our truest self; really, literally like-God, and living in his divine essence. To our sisters and brothers, holy women and men, saints of God in heaven, they are triumphant. We, the Body of Christ here on earth, rejoice with them, especially in the celebration of Mass, the divine liturgy which bridges the divine and the temporal, allowing heaven and earth to touch.
Coming together in One Body in Christ to worship the Father is to experience the communion of saints. In other words, every member of the Body, living and dead: the saints, the souls in purgatory, and the pilgrim church on earth unite in the sharing of spiritual goods. We, therefore, are connected to each other, and share the love of God with one another through prayer, and seek to be edified, encouraged and inspired by the lives of the saints, who for sure are interceding for us; they are cheering us on each and every day; they are in our corner!
Since we are all connected to each other in Christ the Head, the day after All Saints is All Souls Day. Here, our focus turns to the souls in purgatory – those who have died but have not yet attained the beatific vision until they have undergone purification. While purgatory is a state of purification, it is important to remember that all those in purgatory are saved: they are guaranteed to go to heaven, and so this liturgical observance should also be marked with spiritual joy, with hopeful anticipation of the glory to come. This process of purification entails being enveloped by the love of God, which alone frees the soul from the lingering effects and desires of already forgiven sin from one’s earthly life. Think of it in this way: God is trying to compliment you and say how wonderful and beautiful you are; however, initially, you blush, because somehow, deep down, you still don’t believe the truth of who you really are in God’s eyes. Well, that’s purgatory: being made whole through the purifying mercy and love of God whereby when God says you are so lovable, you no longer blush, because you truly believe it. We are close to our sisters and brothers in purgatory – we are still family! And every time we pray and offer the holy sacrifice of the Mass for them, it is the Church’s teaching that, in a way known by God, our prayers assist those in purgatory, aiding them in advancing to that beatific vision.
On Monday, 02 November 2026, we will celebrate the liturgy for the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed at 7 PM in the church. Join us as we think on what is above, what is eternal, knowing of our beautiful connectedness with our heavenly family and all those who have died in the peace of Christ. One day, we, too, will join them in the heavenly homeland where Christ is all and in all (cf. Col 3:11b), and where we will sing for all eternity the glory and praise of God. Hallelujah!
In Christ our Hope,
Fr. Christian Shiu
Administrator
