02/11/2025
๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐๐ | ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐๐
As we welcome the month of November, we begin by remembering, honoring, and commemorating all those who are living and all those who are at rest. In particular, yesterday, the 1st of November, was a Holy Day of Obligation dedicated to all saints and martyrs of the Church who are now reunited with Our Holy Father. While today, November 2, is a day where prayers are offered for all those who have left the land of the living but have yet to reach the palaces of heaven.
We, Filipinos, may be more familiar with these celebrations by the term, โUndasโ that comes from the Spanish word โhonrasโ used in the phrase, โhonras funebresโ or โhonoring and commemorating the deceasedโ. Undas is used to refer to the two days of celebrating the All Saintsโ Day and All Soulsโ day, characterized by the coming together of family members and loved ones to clean and beautify the graves and headstones of their beloved departed while recalling memories alluded to those they now miss and strengthening the bonds between the living and the dead and those who still remain here on Earth.
All Saintsโ Day was first established by Pope Boniface IV on May 13 in 609 AD. Back then, the Pope consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs, thereby starting the traditions that are now deeply rooted in our faith as Catholics. Eventually though, the holy day was re-established on November 1 by Pope Gregory III as devotion to all Saints and their Relics during the mid-eighteenth century. The day then became a Holy Day of Obligation, wherein all faithful are encouraged to attend the Holy Mass and avoid unnecessary work, as decreed by Pope Gregory IV and Louis the Pious.
All Soulsโ Day, otherwise known as the โFeast of all Soulsโ or the โDay of the Deadโ, on the other hand, was also established by Pope Boniface IV and is designed to be a day where we, the hopeful living, will pray for all those who have passed. With every prayer we send up, it is believed that the dead, who are waiting to be admitted to the Kingdom of God, will be cleansed of their sins, granting them the grace to enter heaven. Although this day is not a Holy Day of Celebration, all faithful are still encouraged to celebrate the Eucharist and reflect upon the Word of God.
These Days are Holy, or Hallowed, and uniquely special, especially to those who practice the Catholic Faith and those who aspire to reconnect with their bonds, that extends to the world beyond ours and the world around us. For these are not just days for the dead โ they are also for the living, where we remember what has passed, reflect upon them, and use the lessons learned for our present and future. Yesterday and today (or any day really, though these Holy Days are especially so), we cultivate our connections with the departed; and as we bask in their memories and legacies, we also foster the relationships we have with the people around us who are alive.
We remember the dead and ask for their guidance, but we do not dwell in what was lost โ we dwell, instead, continually here in the land of the living, where we strive to live the lives that our beloved departed would also want for usโฆin their loving memory.
words via | Athea Renee Narvadez
pubmat via | Xian Segundo
