The Twin Feasts
Si Roque at Ang Mga Bulaklak
October 31, 2020
Making Lame Excuses
November 3, 2020PITIK-BULAG: The Twin Feasts
Have you ever thought why All Saints Day and All Souls Day are being celebrated almost simultaneously? Many of us will begin visiting the cemetery today, All Saints Day. It’s not a mistake. It’s a good Christian practice of remembering our departed loved ones and at the same time, honoring all the. unknown Saints in heaven. The two feast days are simply inseparable. Why? I think of three reasons:
First, SAINTS ARE LIKE US. Saints were sinners yet loved and called by God. They sacrificed their lives for the love of God and his people. And God rewarded them with eternal salvation.
Today, we also honor our departed loved ones. They were not perfect people too, yet they did a lot of sacrifice for us. They dedicated their lives for us – to give us a good life, make us happy and ready to face life’s challenges. We owe them a lot, without them we are not what we are today. Because of their selfless love for us, we consider them “saints in our family.”
Second, SAINTS HAVE BIG HEARTS. They have touched countless people with their love, kindness, and sacrifice. But nobody knows them. There are countless ‘unknown saints’ in heaven. We may not know them all, but God knows them well. They sacrificed their life for the sake of their country, community, family, and friends. Today, we remember them all.
Our departed loved ones are ‘saints’ in our eyes. They did great things for us without expecting any return. How can we forget how they have touched and changed our lives? The world will never know their greatness and kindness. They were not honored by the world. But we do! Their kindness is etched in our hearts forever. Our departed loved ones are unknown to many, but known and loved by God and by us.
Third, SAINTS ARE GREAT INTERCESSORS. Today, we don’t’ just remember them. We beg for their intercessions as we pray for the eternal repose of our departed loved ones.
Our departed loved ones are also interceding for us. They see our everyday struggles and challenges. They are also praying for us every day for strength, guidance, and protection from any evil and harm. We are still connected to them through the communion of saints.
PAUSE FOR A SHORT PRAYER:
LIGHT A CANDLE FOR ALL SAINTS. Today, let’s pray to all the saints to intercede for us. May God gives us the grace to follow Christ: As a lover of life. Defender of the weak. Healer of the wounded. Consoler of the poor. And Channel of God’s grace.
LIGHT A CANDLE FOR OUR DEPARTED LOVED ONES. Let us also light candles to our beloved loved ones. To pray for their eternal repose. To thank them once again for loving us unconditionally. Pause for a while. Recall those beautiful memories with them. Thank them one by one. Offer a short prayer for them, and ask them too to pray for us. One day, we shall see them again when our time comes.
Amen.
– Pitik-Bulag
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November 1, 2020 – All Saints Day
