Pro Omnibus Sancti

The great feast of All Saints has come and gone once more. Next to Eastertide and Christmastide, All Saints is my favourite feast of the Church. All Saints is profound on many levels, two of which are worth pondering anew.

First, All Saints is that time when we give thanks to the Most High for taking unto Himself that great 'cloud of witnesses' -- all those who by God's grace have attained to that spotless and eternal beatific vision of heaven, which is, of course, the incorruptible promise of all of God's sons and daughters. Don't kid yourself, the Communion of Saints begs celebration; feasting and merrymaking are in order! Bishop How's famous poem-turned-hymn says it all:

O blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine; All are one in Thee, for all are Thine. Allleluia, Alleluia!

Secondly, the solemnity of All Saints foreshadows our own final destiny, the promise of our own blessed vision. This comes not from ourselves or our own actions, but, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, by 'looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God'. May we always keep before us Jesus Christ and His mighty saving acts!

In anticipation, I began listening to 'For All the Saints' at least two weeks ago! Music, dear ones, is a critical underpinning of the overall liturgy and also a crucial means through which we can sweeten our joie de vivre.

May I lift up to you the music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, whose tune, Sine Nomine, we always hear on All Saints Day? Without a doubt, Williams takes the top spot in my book of favourite tunes. Specifically, you should obtain: The Lark Ascending and Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis. You can get these both on iTunes for only a buck each!

While you're buying, go ahead and get these Williams tunes, too: Down Ampney (Come Down O Love Divine), Sine Nomine (For All the Saints), King's Weston (At the Name of Jesus), and Monks Gate (He Who Would Valiant Be).

Praise God for all His Saints!