The Feast Of All Saints

Today, as most Catholics know, is a Holy Day of Obligation, one of the more important ones, the Feast of All Saints.  Many people don't know the origin of this day, though it's been celebrated since pagan times.  It is sometimes called the Feast of Sawein in a far more ancient religion.  But for Catholics, a fairly new religion, this day literally obligates them to perform certain well-honed sacred rituals. 

It requires no belief in "saints" or people of extraordinary faith, i.e. martyrs and the shaman of this world.  The true origins of this day suggest it is more a celebration of God's Church on earth, and all those both known and unknown who died for their belief in that Church.  In the year 610, Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon (the temple of all the gods) to the service of all Christians.  He dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin and to all saints, commanding this feast be celebrated every year in Rome.  Later, in 840, Pope Gregory IV extended it to include the whole Roman Catholic Church and changed the feast day to November 1st. 

Therefore, the most basic ritual performed is the attendance at a Catholic Church and participation in the reenactment of The Last Supper of Jesus.  There is a very explicit rule that no separation exists between belief in God and the participation in the Mass, that to honor God is to honor His Church.  The people who gave their lives for this belief are considered saints, which is the highest state of holiness a human can reach while still on earth.  This is the day we honor their intercession between us and the Almighty.   

Unless one is obligated to the rites and rituals of their religion, they cannot truly be considered a member of that faith.  This used to frustrate many, myself included, as we seek to "custom make" our methods of worshipping whichever god or gods we choose.  The Catholic Church makes no such distinction.  The rituals ARE the belief, and belief in the Holy Church is all.  It can make it disruptive to the soul when one cannot reconcile the two, hence the fluctuations in the amount of Catholics, like a pendulum sometimes flocking to the faith, other times leaving in droves.  The present direction is away from these ancient rites because they don't seem to speak to the populace.  But they were never meant to.  If one thing can describe this day and all days of Obligation, it is the unflinching loyalty to blind faith.  Catholics live by the authority of the Papal See in Rome, and as religions go, though conflicted, it is not that difficult to respect.