The
Sunday following Pentecost is dedicated to All Saints, both those who are known
to us, and those who are known only to God. There have been saints at all
times, and they have come from every corner of the earth. They were Apostles,
Martyrs, Prophets, Hierarchs, Monastics, and Righteous, yet all were perfected
by the same Holy Spirit.
The
Descent of the Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to rise above our fallen
state and to attain sainthood, thereby fulfilling God’s directive to “be holy,
for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44, 1 Peter 1:16, etc.). Therefore, it is fitting to
commemorate All Saints on the first Sunday after Pentecost.
This
feast may have originated at an early date, perhaps as a celebration of all
martyrs, then it was broadened to include all men and women who had borne
witness to Christ by their virtuous lives, even if they did not shed their
blood for Him.
Saint
Peter of Damascus, in his “Fourth Stage of Contemplation,” mentions five
categories of saints: Apostles, Martyrs, Prophets, Hierarchs, and Monastic
Saints (PHILOKALIA [in English] Vol. 3, p.131). He is actually quoting from the
OCTOECHOS, Tone 2 for Saturday Matins, kathisma after the first stichology.
Saint
Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain (July 14) adds the Righteous to Saint Peter’s five
categories. The list of Saint Nicodemus is found in his book THE FOURTEEN
EPISTLES OF ST PAUL (Venice, 1819, p. 384) in his discussion of I Corinthians
12:28.
The
hymnology for the feast of All Saints also lists six categories: “Rejoice,
assembly of the Apostles, Prophets of the Lord, loyal choirs of the Martyrs,
divine Hierarchs, Monastic Fathers, and the Righteous....”
Some of
the saints are described as Confessors, a category which does not appear in the
above lists. Since they are similar in spirit to the martyrs, they are regarded
as belonging to the category of Martyrs. They were not put to death as the
Martyrs were, but they boldly confessed Christ and came close to being executed
for their faith. Saint Maximus the Confessor (January 21) is such a saint.
The order
of these six types of saints seems to be based on their importance to the
Church. The Apostles are listed first, because they were the first to spread the
Gospel throughout the world.
The
Martyrs come next because of their example of courage in professing their faith
before the enemies and persecutors of the Church, which encouraged other
Christians to remain faithful to Christ even unto death.
Although
they come first chronologically, the Prophets are listed after the Apostles and
Martyrs. This is because the Old Testament Prophets saw only the shadows of
things to come, whereas the Apostles and Martyrs experienced them firsthand.
The New Testament also takes precedence over the Old Testament.
The holy
Hierarchs comprise the fourth category. They are the leaders of their flocks,
teaching them by their word and their example.
The
Monastic Saints are those who withdrew from this world to live in monasteries,
or in seclusion. They did not do this out of hatred for the world, but in order
to devote themselves to unceasing prayer, and to do battle against the power of
the demons. Although some people erroneously believe that monks and nuns are
useless and unproductive, Saint John Climacus had a high regard for them:
“Angels are a light for monks, and the monastic life is a light for all men”
(LADDER, Step 26:31).
The last
category, the Righteous, are those who attained holiness of life while living
“in the world.” Examples include Abraham and his wife Sarah, Job, Saints
Joachim and Anna, Saint Joseph the Betrothed, Saint Juliana of Lazarevo, and
others.
The feast
of All Saints achieved great prominence in the ninth century, in the reign of
the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-911). His wife, the Holy Empress
Theophano (December 16) lived in the world, but was not attached to worldly
things. She was a great benefactor to the poor, and was generous to the
monasteries. She was a true mother to her subjects, caring for widows and
orphans, and consoling the sorrowful.
Even
before the death of StTheophano in 893 or 894, her husband started to build a
church, intending to dedicate it to Theophano, but she forbade him to do so. It
was this emperor who decreed that the Sunday after Pentecost be dedicated to
All Saints. Believing that his wife was one of the righteous, he knew that she
would also be honored whenever the Feast of All Saints was celebrated.
Source: https://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/06/30/48-synaxis-of-all-saints
Source of Cover Photo: http://allsaintshartford.org/
Source of Cover Photo: http://allsaintshartford.org/
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