Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
Growing up in Poland and living in Bolivia for a year, I’ve had the opportunity to experience and celebrate the same holidays within two completely different cultures (in addition to here in the United States). Both Bolivia and Poland are predominantly Catholic, and Mass and the faith are the center of these holidays, but there are some details that very different. For example, in Poland, eating meat on Christmas Eve is unheard of! We await the birth of Jesus with a meatless supper, rooted in the belief that Jesus was surrounded by animals in the manger where he was born, and they were the first to recognize that He is King. I was shocked when the religious Sisters I lived with in Bolivia were grilling up meat all day for our Christmas Eve feast before going to Midnight Mass!
One holiday around this time of year that stands out to me most in its differences is All Souls’ Day. The Catholic Church dedicates the whole month of November to the souls in purgatory and we are encouraged, especially this month, to pray for the dead.
Although a national holiday in both countries, the feel of the day is very different. If you’ve seen the movie Coco, you might have a good idea of what the celebrations of Dia De Los Muertos look like in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Music, vibrant decorations and feasts fill the cemeteries as families come together to remember and pray for their loved ones. It is tradition to also go around to other family’s graves and pray for their loved ones, even if they are strangers. In return, people are gifted candy or sweet bread shaped like crosses, angels and ladders as a token of gratitude for their prayer.
In Poland, All Souls’ Day is observed a little differently. You won’t find folk bands, feasts and celebrations at the gravesites, but you will see beautifully decorated cemeteries with hundreds of candles and bouquets of fresh flowers. I remember attending Mass with my grandparents and extended family and walking over to the cemetery along with the whole congregation to pray for and honor our loved ones.
But why do we celebrate All Souls’ Day? It’s a day to pray for those who have gone before us who may not be saints in heaven just yet. This month especially, we pray for those in purgatory with hope that they are soon united with Jesus in heaven. In this Sunday’s second reading, Paul reminds us not to grieve like those who don’t know Jesus, but to have hope in the resurrection. This does not mean that we shouldn’t grieve or that we can’t miss our loved ones who have passed away, but that we should have hope that we will be reunited with them and with Jesus again.
Feeling left out of all the celebration? You can make your own family traditions! So, light a candle, eat some sweet bread, say a prayer, share stories but most importantly, remember that Jesus is our hope!
