For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.… There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son.… And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. [John 3:16,18,36 (NLT)]
All Saint’s Day for the Western Christian Church is November 1. While Roman Catholic and Orthodox church observances tend to focus on those who’ve been canonized saints, the Protestant church has a different approach to this holy day. Whether living or dead, it regards all Christian believers as “saints” and part of the Communion of Saints we speak of when reciting the Apostles’ Creed. For Protestants, All Saint’s Day is a time to commemorate Christian family members, church members, and friends who have died. At our liturgical church, there will be a solemn reading of the names of all church members who passed during the year. After each name is read, the bell will toll.
All Saints’ Day is observed in different ways in other cultures. In Mexico, the Dia de los Muertos, (Day of the Dead) is one manifestation of this feast day. I was unfamiliar with this Mexican tradition until our botanical garden featured eight larger-than-life skeleton sculptures of La Catrina. I’d always thought of the skulls and skeletons associated with this day as ghoulish until taking a good look at these Catrinas. One of the most recognizable figures of Day of the Dead, the elegant La Catrina doesn’t approach death through sadness but as a colorful celebration of life.
These skeletal but beautifully dressed 8-foot Catrinas towered over the gardens. Symbolizing the return of the souls of the deceased, one Catrina was adorned in monarch butterflies. One carried marigolds (the scent of which is said to attract the souls of the dead to altar offerings) while another carried a basket of food. Although I didn’t recognize the Catrina of Mexican actress/singer Maria Felix, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo with her “unibrow” was easy to recognize.
With its food, drink, and celebration, the Day of the Dead is like a family reunion—except one’s dead ancestors are the guests of honor. A curious blend of indigenous rituals, European religion, and Spanish cultures, many of its traditions and beliefs are pagan rather than Christian. While sharing stories and remembering our loved ones is a good way to deal with their loss, the Day of the Dead is not based on Biblical truth and many of its observances go beyond honoring the deceased. Those that involve superstition, mythology, empty rituals, the occult, or communing with the dead go into Satan’s territory and pose serious theological problems for a Christian.
Nevertheless, in spite of its pagan origins and rituals, I couldn’t help but contrast the joyful celebrations of the Day of the Dead with the solemn reading of names at our church on All Saint’s Day. Of course, we miss our dead friends and family and mourn their loss, but we also should remember all that we loved about them and celebrate their memory with smiles, joy, and even laughter!
All the Catrinas, including Lady Mictlán (the Aztec queen of the underworld), faced death with a smile—almost a smirk. In fact, the Catrina’s smiles reminded me of the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 15:15: “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” As Christians, we can face both our death and the deaths of other believers with a smile. Our Christian hope isn’t that we’ll be welcomed back into the kingdom of living with flowers and food after death. Our Christian hope is that we’ll live forever in the kingdom of God! We’ll be welcomed there not because of works, worth, or rituals; we’ll be welcomed solely because of the work Jesus did on the cross! Because Jesus defeated death, we can face it with a smile even broader than that of La Catrina!
A believer may feel the stroke of death, but he shall never feel the sting of death. [D.L. Moody]
Devotions of the Heart 