The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls)
Today is officially “the commemoration of the faithful departed.” In some cultures it is known as “the day of the dead.” As Catholics, we should always direct our attention to the saints, but especially this time of year.
As yesterday was All Saints Day, it does us well to consider how some of the saints viewed death. Their descriptions, not surprisingly, pushed the envelope. For St. John Eudes “only the insane consider the faithful departed to be dead.” Even sorrow for those who have died was suspect. English martyr Robert Southwell warned, "Much sorrow for the dead is either the child of self love or rash judgement.” Some holy ones had a more compassionate spin, such as John Vianney who advised, “In order to die well we must live well.” Bede and Camillus couldn’t wait to die, Said Venerable Bede:
“I long to die to be with Christ the King in all his glory!” Camillus de Lellis was more explicit: “The approach of death is the best news I could hear.” The Ursuline martyrs of Paris went to the guillotine singing joyfully. Thankfully, we do not need to look forward to embracing death with gusto in order to die well.
Whatever our own outlook on dying, one thing is certain: We will die. Of this St. Ignatius Loyola mused, “Of most questions asked of us, the answer could be ‘perhaps.’ But as to the question, ‘shall you die?’ Yes, that is certain!” Ignatius was right. There is no “perhaps" about it. A saint of our own time and our former archbishop, Joseph Cardinal Bernadine, has helped many to gracefully view death as a friend with nothing to fear.
As we commemorate the faithful departed, we take heart that dying can be as natural as slipping into the next room. Waiting there are Southwell, Vianney, Loyola, Bede, Camillus, Bernadine, the Ursuline martyrs and all those we have loved and lost in life. But most of all we’ll be with “Christ the King in all his glory.” Then we will wonder what all this fuse about death was really all about.
-Timothy J. Cronin