All Saints’ Day is a day of remembering and honoring those who the church recognizes as living life to the fullest.
What does living life to the fullest even mean? It means living an inspiring life for future generations. Examples of that can be found in the life and/or writings of Mother Theresa, St. Don Bosco, and St. Francis of Asissi.
“We are united with the saints in Heaven and we can imitate how they handled their struggles and their relationship with God. All Saints’ Day is a day we should all rejoice,” explained Sr. Theresa Gutierrez, FMA.
The saints did not pursue holiness from their positions or status of wealth, gender, race, or education, but were able to from their committed faith. It did not matter what the saints had outside of them, but what was within them.
A virtuous life, devotion, and the quality of the heart are far more valued than of how many Chanel bags someone owns. In other words, saints only needed love for God in order to pursue holiness.
“I feel like they were able to pursue holiness with the stories passed down and whatever interaction they had with Jesus or Mary, depending on their situation. What proves them to be true devoted Christians is the fact that some of them stayed true to their faith despite the possibility of being killed,” said sophomore Teresa Kurishingal.
The day encourages the Catholic community to reflect on their own lives and strive in a way that aligns with the virtues exemplified by saints. By reflecting on the lives of the saints, Catholics are inspired to emulate their virtues such as charity, humility, and faithfulness.
“All Saints’ Day is an imperative day where Catholics and others should celebrate the life of the recognized saints in the Catholic Church. Saints, like all of us, were ordinary people who God saw a purpose in them. All they had to do was respond to this call. All people today can feel like they are not important enough, but we all are loved and created in God’s image,” explained sophomore Isabella Limardo.
