All Saints Day



The origin of the festival of All Saints celebrated in the West dates to May 13, 609 or 610, when Pope Boniface IV consecrated the Pantheon at Rome to the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs; the feast of the dedicatio Sanctae Mariae ad Martyres has been celebrated at Rome ever since. The chosen day, May 13, was a pagan observation of great antiquity, the culmination of three days of the Feast of the Lemures, in which the malevolent and restless spirits of the dead were propitiated. Liturgiologists of the Middle Ages based the idea that this Lemuria festival was the origin of that of All Saints on their identical dates and on the similar theme of "all the dead". The feast of All Saints, on its current date, is traced to the foundation by Pope Gregory III of an oratory in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world", with the day moved to November 1.

In many parts of the world this day is celebrated differently in Latin America people make altars for their dead loved ones with all sort of treats and such. In Southern European countries people take flowers to their decesed loved ones graves. In Northern European countries the main tradition is to light candles on the dead ones graves. No matter how you celebrate this day make sure you keep in mind for who we are observing it for... for our brothers and sisters who have made it into The Kingdom of GOD and let us ask them for their guidance and blessings. Let us also honor those Saints who are not recognized by the church yet, and for those who are forgotten through out time. Let us invoke them at all times, let them guide us with their love for Christ, Mary and the Church. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of our faith. The purity of the soul is respect and love we have for ourselves, our bretheren and Our Lord.


Prayer
Father, all-powerful and ever living GOD,
today we rejoice in the holy men and women
of every time and place.
May their prayers bring us your forgiveness and love.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one GOD forever and ever. AMEN

REFERENCE:
Story behind ALL SAINTS DAY:Saints:a year in faith and art by Rosa Giorgi
Image of ASD: from La Disputa by Raphael

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