RBWords - Volume 20 - Number 10: October 2007
Something to Think About
- It is All Saints\' Day as I write this. One of the memories that is vivid to me about this day and tomorrow (All Souls\' Day) is the custom of visiting the graves of family and friends and bringing flowers to decorate. This custom is truly elaborate in San Antonio. I once had a funeral on All Souls\' Day and when we went to the cemetery, I thought I had walked by mistake into a florist shop! The enormous cemetery was covered in flowers, almost like something out of the Rose Bowl Parade. Included at certain graves were favorite beverages or, in the case of children, a special toy!
However, the purpose of such a visit is not to gawk at the decorations but to remember and pray. On All Saints\' Day, the church rejoices “in the holy men and women of every time and place.” I take that to mean anyone whose close relationship to God made them holy, and especially if this holiness was communicated to others. It is an interesting exercise to ask oneself, “Have I ever known anyone I would consider a true saint?” I certainly remember with fondness a wonderful woman named Blanche Provost, a parishioner at the University of Arizona Newman Center. She was a simple, straight-forward lady who had a long battle with cancer. She lectured her doctors on their lack of faith. When she became too weak to walk to the Newman Center to attend Mass, the Eucharistic Ministers lined up for the privilege of taking communion to her. She radiated faith, hope and love to us all. When the “Saints go marchin\' in,” I hope I can be numbered with her. IT\'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
It Has Been Said
“The fact that we are already seeking God at all means that God has planted the seeds of this desire within us, imprinting the Holy Spirit on our spirit to give us a pre-conscious desire for God. It like the parents who give their children money to buy them a Christmas gift. The children would not be able to show their love for their parents through a simple gift if it weren\'t for the parents loving them first by giving them money to buy the gift. So it is with spiritual and moral striving. The spiritual and more life is possible in the first place because God has made the first move.”
from THE CALL TO HOLINESS by Richard M. Gula, S.S.