MANILA, Philippines - All Souls’ Day is a time to pray, show respect for the dead and remember the good and bad things they did when they were still living, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said yesterday.
CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Social Communication and Mass Media executive secretary Fr. Francis Lucas said the faithful should use All Souls’ Day as an opportunity to remember their dearly departed.
“That is why we celebrate All Souls’ Day, to respect the dead and to learn from them what good and bad things did they do…learning from their mistakes and emulating their good deeds that they did,†Lucas said.
Millions across the Catholic Philippines trooped to cemeteries to honor their dead in typically festive fashion on All Saints’ Day, ignoring appeals from the Church to keep the day solemn.
Police were on full alert, as their warnings for the public not to bring alcoholic beverages, loud portable stereos, knives and other deadly weapons to gravesites were largely ignored.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Director General Felipe Rojas Jr. said the long weekend contributed to the peaceful observance of All Saints’ Day.
He said the cemeteries in the country were not overcrowded, unlike in the past.
“Unlike last year, there is only two days of vacation during All Saints’ Day. But this year, there is three days of vacation so the public went to visit their departed loved ones last Friday or ahead of Nov. 1 and the cemeteries yesterday was not that overcrowded,†Rojas said.
He said the PNP has not received any report of a major crime or violence erupting.
The PNP was placed under full alert ahead of All Saints’ Day nationwide.
There was heavy security in sea and airports as well as bus terminals, with many residents of major cities rushing to return home to their villages and provinces for “day of the dead†commemorations.
Lucas said the people should also not forget to offer prayers for their deceased relatives and friends.
“If you really love your dead, you have to pray for them without ceasing, especially today when there are a lot of disasters and there are people who suddenly died. Were they able to have the time to return to the Lord?†he said.
Lucas said that God is very forgiving, that the moment someone asks for help it is taken as a sign that, in conscience, the person has returned to God.
“There are those who, because of sin, could not fully ask for God’s forgiveness so I supposed those who suddenly died and were not prepared for death would need our prayers.â€
Mass should be offered for the souls of these persons who suddenly perished.
“Mass is the best prayer. Mass should not only be offered by individuals but the whole church should pray for the dead on All Souls’ Day.â€
Lucas said prayers should be offered for the souls who are still lingering in purgatory.
Aside from heaven and hell, he said there are also souls that are temporarily placed in purgatory. Souls that still need cleansing are placed in purgatory.
“It is here where you have to suffer a temporal punishment…I always pray for the souls in purgatory. On All Souls’ Day you never know where they are so we can still pray for them,†Lucas said.
Lucas also reminded the faithful that while saints intercede for the faithful, they are only venerated and not worshipped.
“We don’t worship the saints, we venerate them. We give them respect. We don’t ask prayers from them. We pray with them. You ask them to intercede in your prayer and also to emulate them and follow in their footsteps,†he said.
The Christian tradition dates back to the ancient practice in Rome, which honors all saints and martyrs who died for the faith.
All Souls’ Day, the day after, is often when those wanting to avoid the crowds of All Saints’ Day visit the cemeteries to pay their respects.
While the day of the dead is supposed to be solemn, Filipinos use it for family gatherings at the tombs, where drinking and even open-air karaoke singing sessions are held. – Cecille Suerte Felipe, Rhodina Villanueva