feast of all souls-----do you have any religious observations in nov?

Question

The Church has encouraged prayer for the dead from the earliest times as an act of Christian charity. "If we had no care for the dead," Augustine noted, "we would not be in the habit of praying for them." Yet pre-Christian rites for the deceased kept such a strong hold on the superstitious imagination that a liturgical commemoration was not observed until the early Middle Ages, when monastic communities began to mark an annual day of prayer for the departed members.
In the middle of the 11th century, St. Odilo, abbot of Cluny (France), decreed that all Cluniac monasteries offer special prayers and sing the Office for the Dead on November 2, the day after the feast of All Saints. The custom spread from Cluny and was finally adopted throughout the Roman Church.

The theological underpinning of the feast is the acknowledgment of human frailty. Since few people achieve perfection in this life but, rather, go to the grave still scarred with traces of sinfulness, some period of purification seems necessary before a soul comes face-to-face with God. The Council of Trent affirmed this purgatory state and insisted that the prayers of the living can speed the process of purification.

Superstition still clung to the observance. Medieval popular belief held that the souls in purgatory could appear on this day in the form of witches, toads or will-o’-the-wisps. Graveside food offerings supposedly eased the rest of the dead.

Observances of a more religious nature have survived. These include public processions or private visits to cemeteries and decorating graves with flowers and lights. This feast is observed with great fervor in Mexico.

Answer 1

Praying for the Dead
September 24, 2001
by Wayne Jackson

In times of great crisis, people cry out to God in prayer. While this is understandable, prayers for the dead are both futile, and contrary to biblical truth.

Since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, our nation has been plunged into a deeply “religious” mood. The parallel of this “praying posture” has not been observed in our beloved America since Pearl Harbor was bombed—almost sixty years ago. This disposition is encouraging; and one, we hope, that will not be short-lived.

Our hearts cannot but anguish with those who are suffering such soul-tearing losses. Some children have lost one or both parents; husbands and wives have been robbed of loving mates; others will never see brother or sister again. To describe these separations as “painful” is an egregious understatement. The caring soul is wholly sympathetic to the tears of damaged family members.

It is most difficult to be critical of sincere people in a time of such distress. But we must, with genuine compassion, call attention to a glaring error that has manifested itself repeatedly—and occasionally on the part of Christians who ought to know better.

Not infrequently of late, the public has been encouraged to “pray for those whose lives were lost, and for their families.” For those grieving families—yes. Certainly so. For the dead, no. Is this a heartless admonition? It is not. It is spiritual reality. No one should entertain the illusion that someone may be able to pray for him, effecting some beneficial result, after he is dead.

While it is natural to have the inclination to pray in times of acute distress, the only thing one really knows about the parameters of valid prayer is that which is revealed in the Bible. The Scriptures constitute the only legitimate prayer manual. And there is ample evidence in that sacred volume that prayers for the dead are not only futile, the practice is antagonistic to certain aspects of divine truth—in spite of the fact that this pagan practice is common in certain circles of “Christendom.” For example, Roman Catholic theology allows for prayers both to the dead, and on behalf of them. But reflect upon the following points.


1. Even Catholic authorities concede that there is no explicit authorization for prayers on behalf of the dead in the sixty-six books of canonical Scripture. Roman authorities appeal to the Apocrypha (2 Macabees 12:46), church tradition (late second century and onward), the decree of the Council of Trent (Session xxv), etc., but there is no valid biblical defense to be made for the practice (see Donald Attwater, A Catholic Dictionary, New York: Macmillan, 1961, p. 137). It is only from a few passages, not relevant to the issue, that unwarranted inferences are drawn.
2. The Scriptures teach that those who have yielded to the Savior’s will (Heb. 5:8-9), enter directly and immediately into the presence of the Lord (Lk. 23:43; Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:6,8). What need, then, do they have for the prayers of people upon the earth?
3. In the parable of the virgins (Mt. 25:1ff), there is the clear lesson that after those “virgins” went to “sleep” (v. 5 – signifying death; cf. Dan. 12:2; 1 Thes. 4:13ff), there was no further opportunity for preparation (the “door was shut” v. 10). The lesson then is taught that only those who had made adequate, personal preparation would meet the “bridegroom” in that condition. The implications of this illustration are firmly opposed to the notion of praying for the dead.
4. When Jesus related the details regarding the selfish rich man, and the righteous beggar, Lazarus, (Lk. 16:19ff), he affirmed that a “great gulf” stood between the abode of the unrighteous and the righteous (v. 26). This “gulf” is permanently “fixed” (this is the force of the perfect tense verb), and there is no crossing from one side to the other. How, therefore, could prayers from the living alter the destiny of the lost?
5. ”. . . [I]t is appointed to men once to die, and after this comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27). There is no indication that a change in one’s spiritual condition can be made following his death—either by himself, or through the efforts of others.
6. If it is useless to pray for the living, who are committing “sin unto death” (1 Jn. 5:16), i.e., sin continued—without seeking relief in conformity to God’s law of pardon, how could prayer for those who are dead already avail—since there is no post-mortem plan of salvation?

And so, while we truly sympathize with those who have lost dear ones, we would do well to be reminded of the biblical admonition—”. . . behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). While this language, in context, refers to the gospel age as a whole, the phraseology is not inappropriate for the individual who, in an unprepared condition, faces that inevitable enemy—death (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:26; Heb. 9:27).

Answer 2

Yes! We have three of them this month! You can go to many Asatruar sites and usually find a calendar on exactly which day they will fall. Some are solar in origin and vary by year, and others remain the same every year.

"Fogmoon" is November, by the way. I celebrate every day, but these days this month are extra special to me. Especially the day of Remembrance for Queen Sigrith! She's my personal hero. (C&P'd dates from a calendar I use to speed up the process.)

Fogmoon 9 - Day of Remembrance for Queen Sigrith of Sweden: When Olaf the Lawbreaker had been king of Norway for three years, he asked Queen Sigrith of Sweden to marry him. She agreed, but when he insisted that she give up her ancestral Gods Sigrith replied, “I do not mean to abandon the faith I have led, and my kinsmen before me. Nor shall I object to your belief in the god you prefer.” As usual Heathen tolerance was met with kristjan imprecations and a blow to the face. The wedding was off - depriving Olaf of political power that could have sped the christianization of Scandinavia. As it were, history tells us that the Heathens held on for over 300 more years in the Northlands. Hail Sigrith, defender of Asatru, and women of stubborn virtue!

Fogmoon 11 - Feast of the Einherjar: The chosen heroes who sit in Odin’s Hall are the Einherjar. Today we honor those dead kin who gave their lives for Family and Folk. If you have friends or family who died in battle, visit their graves today, if that is not possible, drink a libation in their memory.

Fogmoon 23 - Feast of Ullr: The Feast of Ullr is to celebrate the Hunt and to gain personal luck needed for success. Weapons are dedicated on this day to Ullr, God of the Bow. If your hunting arms were blessed by the luck of the God of the Hunt, your family and tribe shared the bounty with a Blot and Feast to Ullr.

We are indeed blessed this month!

~Morg~

Answer 3

yes all hallows day! Nov 1st