Iwas in Tagbilaran City, Bohol early this week to visit the grave of my husband and relatives from his family’s side. Boy is interred in Victoria Memorial Park, a sprawling 10-hectare private cemetery close to Maribojoc Bay.
Amid the gaggle of people visiting the tombs of their beloved dead talking loudly among themselves and workers sprucing up the garden-themed cemetery while listening to the CD music player, I was struck to find a sense of peace and quiet as I looked out at the calm waters of Maribojoc Bay. Instinctively, I recalled the day we buried my husband and I regretted not having glanced at this soothing scenery. I would have been able, right then and there, to recognize the value of hope in a place so naturally contoured for those who grapple with the loss of a loved one.
In November 2008, I wrote a piece about All Souls’ Day that offered a backstory on the Catholic tradition that commemorates all the faithful departed. I happened to be staying temporarily in Paris at the time and the historical data that a French monastic order started it all got me interested because people usually date back this tradition to pagan cultures such as the Aztecs, whose civilization is said to have given Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos. The Mexican version of All Souls’ Day can be a bit raucous, where traditional customs like dancing and singing are woven in prayers done in gravesites.
The fascinating narrative about how the Catholic world established the celebration of the dead can be found in the story of St. Odilo, a French cleric who lived in the 9th century. He was descended from a noble family in France and later became abbot of a Benedictine monastery. In Odilo’s time, the Abbot of Cluny was as powerful as monarchs and popes but he declined positions of power offered by two popes and instead dedicated his efforts to reforming the monastic system.
Known as the Archangel of the Monks, the saint was responsible for the rapid development of the monastery, first in Cluny in central France and later throughout Europe. He was known for his gentleness, charity and had a knack for organizing. He had a magnificent monastery built in Cluny.
A book about the French monk written by Jesse Voyles narrates the story about a pilgrim who returned from the Holy Land. Cast by a rough storm on a desolate island, the pilgrim met a hermit who told him, “Amid the rocks was a chasm communicating with purgatory, from which perpetually rose the groans of tortured souls.”
The hermit claimed he “heard demons complaining of the efficacy of the prayers of the faithful, and especially the monks of Cluny, in rescuing their victims.”
The legend goes that upon returning home, the pilgrim informed the abbot of Cluny, who then set Nov. 2 around the year 998 as a day of intercession on the part of his community for all the poor souls in purgatory. From the abbey in Cluny, the practice spread to other monasteries of the Cluniac order, then to other dioceses in France and throughout the western Church in Europe although it was only in the 14th century when Rome accepted the Cluniac tradition.
The monastic system developed by St. Odilo eventually declined and in 1790 the church was closed and later dismantled. Today, the ruins of Ancienne Abbaye de Cluny are all that remain of the once powerful monastic system in Europe. Tourists are attracted to the Saone-et-Loire region to view the Holy Water Bell Tower and the art museum which is housed in what was once the abbot’s former palace.
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Why do we mix up our celebration of the feast of All Saints and All Souls’ Day? Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM offers an explanation: The twin memorial comes one after the other because both “speak to us of what is beyond.” He recommends reflecting on the Psalm, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain wisdom.” According to the Vatican preacher, the elements of celebration are rooted in Christ’s resurrection and the hope that He has gone to prepare a place for us.
In our country, the Halloween celebration is becoming popular although it has never been part of our culture. I’m aghast with how western costume parties slowly entered our custom of commemorating the dead in a way that devalues our core beliefs.
I can only think of enterprising businessmen who continually search for concepts that cheapen our culture to draw people to buy what they don’t need amid Christian celebrations. This subtle attack against our tradition maybe viewed in the same way that contraception and prostitution are peddled as part of a “devolving” culture and an “inclusivist” mentality by foreign institutions.
I can only say that if we place the dead in the context of costume parties and Halloween elements like jack-o-lantern, trick and treat, ghoulish get-ups, etc., can we honestly say we can turn our thoughts to God and our final destiny? Parents have a duty to instruct their children, otherwise, we end up embracing a foreign culture and losing our own.
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Heartfelt condolences go to my friend. TV 5 and local Kapisanan ng Mga Brodkaster Ng Pilipinas KBP executive, Yolanda “Yoli” Gendrauli whose husband Danny passed away last week.
Danny was a professional basketball player and a sports advocate who offered free sports clinic to many young people. When they heard of his passing, they all went to his funeral last Sunday and told Yoli many touching stories that she was not even aware of. Yoli will have to cope with her loss but I’m certain Danny’s good works and the memories will sustain her.