Skogskyrkogården Sweden on All Saints' Day Photo: Michael Cavén/Flickr
Gradually I found myself growing fonder of these saints and developing a tenderness toward them. I began to see them as models of holiness relevant to contemporary believers, and to understand the remarkable ways that God works in the lives of individuals. Each saint was holy in his or her unique way, revealing how God celebrates individuality. As C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity: "How monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerers have been: how gloriously different are the saints."
~James Martin, SJ, My Life With the Saints p.6
Today is All Hallows Day (or as we call it in the United States, All Saints Day). Tonight, Christians throughout Europe will leave candles and flowers in cemeteries to honor all the saints of Christ, both known and unknown. I have heard that in Poland the cemeteries are lit up with thousands and thousands of candles. Can you imagine what a holy light it must be? I think it is a beautiful tradition.
