The Christian Church equally takes the first day of November to celebrate the feast of all Saints.The following day, the second of November is marked as the feast in honour of all Souls or the faithful departed.Vividly people wear the poppy flower, visit cemeteries which they decorate and offer special prayers.All these memorials are not vain activities but important to Christians.It is good to have the memory of our beloved dead.
The Church Militant is the Church here on earth that lives to worship and follow the dictates of Jesus gospel teachings.It is us who live this mortal life with the hope of eternal life at the end of the course of our lives.The Church triumphant is the assembly of the people of God who are no longer on this earth but are gone to the glory of God in heaven or awaiting to enter heaven.The memory that the Church militant has is not just in the mind but it is a celebration of life in prayer and fellowship and belief that our dead are alive with God.
In the Church’s article of faith, we say we believe in the “communion of Saints”.What is affirmed here is that we believe that our dead especially those with God called Saints have a spiritual link with us.We have a direct relation with the saints in heaven whom we call the triumphant Church.The understanding is that we still are close to our brothers and sisters who have died just they were alive.They had once lived on earth and did everything a human being did but are rewarded with God’s divine benevolence to be in heaven.
The song sand on the day of all saints’ states, “oh when the saints go marching in heaven, O Lord I want to be in that number! For the Christian believer the hope of heaven is not a deception but rather a reality that is longed for which will be attained.
The Saints and the departed faithful all pass from this life through Christ into the glory of heaven.These scriptures give us a basis that confirms that:Rev. 7:2-4 and 9 – 14, John 3:1-3 and Matt. 5:1-12.
In these scriptures especially in the book of Revelation, the Saints are that huge crowd in John’s vision who had gone through persecution and now they wear the white robes of sanctity in heaven.The gospel of Matt. 5:1-12 mapped out how the saints and our dead are assessed to merit being in heaven.The verses of the passage stands as the magna Charta for the Christian believer.If the Christian wants to enter into heaven the gospel teachings of Jesus leads the way.
The song writer and singer Peter Tosh says, “everybody wants to go to heaven but none of them wants to die.The inevitable nature of death, no one can escape it.When the time comes no one can run away.The obvious is to be ready for the call knowing fully well that the teachings of Jesus is to be lived.
As the Church militant celebrates the Church triumphant our faith leads us to the mercy of God.After the last day of our existence on earth, all and everybody will stand in need of nothing but the mercy of God.Whatever achievements and positions we hold in life all these will be left behind what would matter most to hope in God’s merciful judgement and that is always the prayer of the Church.
“Blessed are the merciful for they shall have mercy shown them” (Matt.5:7)
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