By Sister Mary Ellen Brody, RSM
“The communion of saints is a Christian symbol that speaks of profound relationship… It points to an ongoing connection between the living and the dead, implying that the dead have found new life thanks to the merciful power of God.”
—Elizabeth Johnson, from her book The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race
As we celebrate the Christian feasts of All Saints and All Souls, we pause to remember those holy men and women, named and unnamed, who have gone before us. As Elizabeth Johnson writes, there is an “ongoing connection” with them. In recent years we’ve been invited to reflect upon our Critical Concern of Earth, and in our community conversations we’ve been challenged to, like St. Francis, extend our understanding of relationship to our relationship with all humanity and all creation. In many of her writings, Johnson extends her view of the Communion of Saints beyond the human community to that of all creation, so we might also extend our remembrance to the species that have become extinct.
It can be difficult to know what species have become extinct, which by definition means no individuals have been seen for a significant period of time. But even without that level of detail, are we aware of the damage that is being done to our rainforests, water supplies, mountain ranges, mined earth and many plant and animal species? Many human actions break the relationship with our Earth family.
Perhaps these sacred days give us an opportunity to reflect more deeply on “all my relations,” a relational concept Native Americans use in prayers, blessings and speeches. It represents part of their everyday mindset of respect for all creation:
- Other people: Family, community members and all of humankind.
- The natural world: Animals, birds, plants and Earth itself.
- The spirit world: Ancestors and the spiritual forces of the universe.
- The elements: Rocks, rivers, mountains, wind and sky.
In the United States, the eve of all hollows—Halloween—has become quite commercialized, losing its religious significance. Decorations and other aspects of the celebration completely mislead or misinterpret the idea of spirit, and there is no relation to the spiritual aspect of the following day, All Saints Day, to which it is a prelude.
All Saints and All Souls represent our ancestors who have passed through the veil and share a new dimension of life. Countries to our south have much more meaningful celebrations, perhaps reflecting their more complete understanding of the days. Some visit grave sites where meals are shared or place food and colorful flowers on home altars to show how their beloved are present with them but in a new way.
May we accept the challenge and grace of these holy days by renewing our relationship with all humanity and all creation by honoring them with remembrance and by living according to the all-inclusive understanding of “communion of saints” and the indigenous principle of “all my relations.”