Remembering the Dead has always been a part of the Catholic Tradition.  And this remembering was usually associated with the celebration of the Mass.  Mass was celebrated on the anniversary of each person’s death.  This practice was especially significant when it involved the death of martyrs; the celebration of their deaths was the beginning of the celebration of feast days of the saints.

The passage from this life to the life of the future, that is the life of the resurrection, was conceived on the model of the death of Jesus.  His death was seen as a passover through death into the new life of the resurrection.  So the death of the followers of Jesus was conceived as their sharing in his movement from this life to the Father.

As time and reflection went along, people became aware that there was still a need for some sort of purification for those who died.  One of the ways of conceiving it was that they were being refined as metals were refined.  The imagery of purifying fire entered the scene in such imagery; it also echoed some biblical imagery.  Note that it was imagery!  However, as one of the great historians writing about Purgatory says in the early Middle Ages, there was a riot of the imagination and this purifying began to be conceived as a place of purification: what many of us would have heard about as Purgatory.  (Even though in the old Catechism it was defined as ‘a place or state of punishment’ for those yet to be purified.)

Before such a conception arose, the basic imagery was that of a journey, which fits in better with the basic Christian idea of a passing over into the hands of God, which we saw above was the most basic way of imaging our ‘going to God’.  It echoes the words of Jesus on the cross: “Into your hands, I commit my spirit”.  So the community of the Church prayed for the dead person who was completing their journey to God.  They accompanied them on their journey in prayer and procession and in the celebration of the Eucharist.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will tease out some of the themes touched above.

By Fr Frank O’Loughlin

All Souls Day Mass will be celebrated at All Hallows Church on Tuesday, 2 November at 9.15 am.

No pre-booking required.  Check-in on arrival using the Victorian Services QR code, and those over the age of 16 years will need to provide evidence of full vaccination.  All those over the age of 12 years are required to wear a face mask indoors.