On Remembering

October is the best month of the year (according to me). The images that fill this month take me back to my childhood and the moments of yesteryear when everything seemed simpler somehow, and life (at least in part) made perfect sense. It is also the time of year when my birthday slides into my mother’s birthday, immediately followed by grandmother’s birthday that was celebrated on Halloween—the Eve of All Hallows.

Could it have been a coincidence that two of the most important female influencers of my life were born on the days after my day of birth, and that the very next day is the time in the liturgical calendar when the universal Church celebrates All Saints' Day, the day when we collectively recall that God is calling us to be saints? It was a fact that I was born into, and still it is a mystery that I continue to embrace as part of my identity.

My grandmother, Lula Fern Hicks, died when I was eight years old of cancer to the liver at the age of 63, but her memory is etched eternally into my heart. Though her life only touched mine quite briefly, I recall with great gratitude her love, joy, and faithfulness. Furthermore, I know her as an eternal friend. When I was five years old, a conversation between her and me began as she was creating a quilt for me. Though I did not understand what she was telling me then about sickness and cancer, her words still sing a melody inside of me now: “No matter where I go, I will always love you.”



Likewise, my mother has always been a beacon of light in my life. She prays for me every day, celebrates my life in creative and varied ways, and always has a good word to say about all people. I admire her selflessness and generosity, her love and good example. Each day in prayer, I thank God for the gift of a mother and grandmother who left a deep mark on my own life. Of course I could say the same about my father, brother, grandparents, sister, uncles, aunts, and friends, for all who have touched my life have been a gift to me.

At this time of year, I remember what has been and wonder what will be. As the leaves change their hue to reds, purples, yellows, oranges and gold, I am reminded that my eternal family is much larger than the particular family that I was born into. Mysteriously and beautifully, we are called to live into the mystery of the communion of saints. So I begin my meditation on the time of year that we are situated in right now. This birthday slide of mine at the end of October takes us into the month of November, the month we remember our beloved dead. We begin to recall and celebrate those lives that have met death, remembering how they have played an active role in our own lives—who we are and who we are becoming.

Determining the exact moment when Hallowe’en came into being is a bit complicated, but it first appeared circa 1745 AD and is of Christian origin. The term itself means hallowed or holy evening. It is noteworthy as well that the phrase All Hallows Eve predated the abbreviation Halloween and is found recorded in text as early as 1556 AD.

All Saints' Day (also known as All Hallows) was born into the Church in 609 AD and was first celebrated on May 13th in the Western Church. In the Eastern Church it is still celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost to close off the Easter (Pasch) season. The Western feast moved to November 1st circa 731-741 AD, and a festival of saints was widely celebrated in the time of Charlemagne. The feast celebrates all saints who share in the beatific vision, that is, those who at this moment behold the face of God.

All Saints Day can be distinguished from All Souls' Day (celebrated on November 2nd in the West) insofar as All Souls' includes all of the dead. On November 2nd of our beloved dead and pray for them, as God is the one who judges and seals the fate of all of humanity.

Let us recall this year on Halloween night that Christ is our light. The veil between heaven and earth is always thin, but at this time of year the Church focuses the people of God on the life beyond. Thus, I personally believe that if we quiet ourselves for a moment and whisper a prayer to God, we might actually feel the tickling of the communion of saints dancing around us. Yes, we can always do this. But, much like our remembrance of Jesus’ Birth at Christmas and Resurrection at Easter, these coming days assist us to remember our loved ones who have gone ahead of us.

Can you hear them laughing, singing, and praising the Lord? Listen carefully, attune your spiritual ear, and begin to grasp the glory of the life that is already a part of you through those who have gone before each of us on earth to their heavenly abode.

Christy Hicks is a Campus Minister in Griesedieck Hall.