Saint Thomas of Cazenovia

Sounds good, doesn't it? Like Father said in Church on Sunday, we are all members of the Communion of Saints. Yet, no one can hold a title like that one, even myself. Until we leave this earth, our names stay the same, and for a very good reason. Throughout our lives, we are taught to strive towards being like Jesus and the Saints, which should be the driving force behind all of our daily decisions and actions. As sinners, we forget this at times, bringing us away from that healthy lifestyle.

The Church realizes that we may stray at times, so planned Holy Days and appropriate Gospel readings throughout the year hit us where it may hurt sometimes. The truth can be painful, but as Lee Imbriano quoted in his homily from the latest Rocky Balboa movie, "It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward."

Quite a statement from Sylvester Stallone. But by going to Mass every week, there is always that ability to punched right in the gut by a reading or by anything someone says over the course of the Mass. But, much like Rocky, your life does not end right there. Another week comes, and hopefully another one after that. There is no choice but to keep moving forward with your life. After God shows you the error of your ways, you have to react by getting better in the next week. Think about it, if you improve some aspect of your life every week, how good of a person can you be?

That brings us to All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Sandwiched together in the time of year for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas, these two days are widely underrated. November 1 was All Saints Day, a time where we sit back to think about and praise those who lived their lives completely for others. It is a humbling thought to realize their devotion to God's way. If we can do one tenth of what they did in their lives, we are better for it. As a part of the Communion of Saints, we should be striving to do that.

All Souls Day, on November 2, is not so much a celebration, but a remembrance of those who went before us. Every person has been touched by death in one way or another, and as we all know, it stinks. All Souls Day is an opportunity though, as cliche as it sounds, to remember the good and bad times with those who have left us. It is tough, but there is nothing wrong with a smile amidst a few tears on your face. It makes you evaluate your life as well, and maybe live it just a little better knowing that life is a bit shorter than we realize.

My thought is that many people forget these two days in their year, and they are always a guaranteed punch in the stomach. So, don't do me a favor, do yourself a favor and go back to the ithaca.edu/catholic website and reread the readings on page 2 of this week's Bulletin. Take a few minutes and think about the Saints' lives and the people who have left your life. It is both a humbling and enriching experience. After thinking about that, you might be knocked down to the mat, you might lose this round of your life, but surely you won't be knocked out or down for the count. What would Rocky do?