In the earliest years of the church,
so many martyrs died for their faith, Christians set aside special days to
honor them. For example, in 607 Emperor Phocas presented the beautiful Roman
Pantheon to the church. Boniface IV, the Bishop of Rome, quickly removed the statues of Jupiter
and the other pagan gods and consecrated the Pantheon to the memory of all the martyrs who had
suffered during the Roman persecution in the first three hundred years after
Christ--that great cloud of witnesses to the Christian faith. Originally celebrated on May 1, a
festival in commemoration of those faithful saints was eventually moved to November 1 by
Pope Gregory IV. Ever since this day has been set aside as a time of remembrance of all those who have suffered persecution for their faith. And, given the fact that more Christians have been martyred in the last century than in all the other centuries combined, this is a particularly relevant remembrance.
For All The Saints Hymn
ReplyDeleteFor all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Apostles’ glorious company,
Who bearing forth the Cross o’er land and sea,
Shook all the mighty world, we sing to Thee:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For the Evangelists, by whose blest word,
Like fourfold streams, the garden of the Lord,
Is fair and fruitful, be Thy Name adored.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
For Martyrs, who with rapture kindled eye,
Saw the bright crown descending from the sky,
And seeing, grasped it, Thee we glorify.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
All are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia, Alleluia!
From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Dr. Grant,
ReplyDeleteIf you may, where is the Sanger quote taken from on the Quick and the Dead post "In Her Own Words"?
Thanks so much,
E&J
Those quotes come from various places in the works of Sanger--all quoted and referenced in both my book on Planned Parenthood, "Grand Illusions," and my biography of Sanger, "Killer Angel."
ReplyDelete