Halloween, All Saints, and All Souls comprise an Autumn Triduum - a three-day reflection on our time in the Church militant and our future in the Church Triumphant, alongside a celebration of the cloud of witnesses which has gone before us. This reflection is part of a discipline known as memento mori which means remember your death.
Perhaps this seems morbid to you, but the practice of Memento Mori is a reminder of this relatively bland and obvious fact: life is short, we will all die, maybe even today. So how do we prepare for a holy death?
It’s a question which starts in the Garden of Eden, is echoed through the Old Testament, proclaimed again by Christ, and asked anew in our own lives. If we allow it, Allhallowtide can remind us to attend to the state of our eternal souls and help us live as those prepared to meet our maker.
Pray
Lord Jesus Christ, by your death you took away the sting of death: Grant to us your servants so to follow in faith where you have led the way, that we may at length fall asleep peacefully in you and wake up in your likeness; for your tender mercies’ sake. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer
Sing
Examen
The Examen is a spiritual practice which originated with Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556). It requires the participants to “listen deeply to the data of our lives” (Adele Calhoun) – attending to our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical states. At Allhallowtide, an examen specifically focused on Memento Mori is a helpful way to attend to our eternal needs.
If you’re using this as an annual exercise, plan to set aside a half hour in which you can sit quietly and be uninterrupted during your time of reflection. A daily examen is shorter and simpler and can even be done in your head as you’re trying to drift towards sleep. This one is intended to be more robust.
Grab a journal and a pen. As you work through the questions below, you will write down your feelings along with your answers. If negative things surface, don’t justify them or make excuses. Simply offer them to the Lord. If positive things surface, respond with gratitude to God.
Settle yourself in a quiet and comfortable place. Light a candle. Take some deep breaths, quiet your heart, and invite the Holy Spirit to be present, helping you recall experiences and encounters that you need to process.
Pray: Father, as we anticipate our eventual death, “grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that your Holy Spirit may lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days.”
Begin by reviewing your day. If you were to die tonight, what moments of your day would be most meaningful to you? What moments would be most discouraging?
Shift to considering your week. Where in the past week did you most deeply invest in eternal things? Where did you ignore eternal things in favor of temporal pleasures or pressures?
Slowly shift into reviewing your year. What has happened in your life since the previous Allhallowtide? Ask God to give you the grace to see his hand at work in your life over the past twelve months. Work slowly, remembering details and attending to how these memories make you feel. Consider: which events of the past year has helped you live a more holy life? which events have not? Talk to God about these, offering him the good and the bad.
Finally, reflect upon what areas of your life are you most need God’s grace? Think through your coming year, week, and day. Where do you anticipate most needing God’s help in keeping an eternal perspective?
Close with this prayer: “Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to newness of life, that through the grave and gate of death we may pass with him to our joyful resurrection.” Amen.
