All Saints' Day
A woman stands next to a tombstone on All Saints' Day at La Almudena cemetery in Madrid, Spain, Nov. 1, 2016. Photo: Getty

Wednesday, Nov. 1 marks the Christian tradition of All Saints' Day which holds deep spiritual importance among many Roman Catholics.

Celebrated since the early fourth century, the day is a commemoration of all the saints who were considered martyrs. According to the American Catholic newsletter, it was celebrated for the first time when Pope Boniface IV collected bones and other remnants of saints and reburied them in the Pantheon in Rome. The practice then grew and many believers to gather at the burial places of these Christian saints to reflect on their lives.

With a number of saints being canonized over the time, Pope Gregory IV later decided to designate one day of the year to celebrate them all, choosing Nov. 1 as the date. There are more than 800 canonized Catholic saints as of 2015.

Below are 10 quotes in honor of All Saint’s Day from Aggie Catholic Blog and more.

  • “Remember the sufferings of Christ, the storms that were weathered… the crown that came from those sufferings which gave new radiance to the faith… All saints give testimony to the truth that without real effort, no one ever wins the crown.” – Thomas Becket.
  • “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.” -St. Francis.
  • “Pray with great confidence, with confidence based on the goodness and infinite generosity of God and upon the promises of Jesus Christ. God is a spring of living water which flows unceasingly into the hearts of those who pray.” -St. Louis de Montfort
  • “You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all.”-St. Therese of Lisieux.
  • “For me, prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”-St. Therese of Lisieux.
  • “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”-St. Augustine.
  • “Don’t you long to shout to those youths who are bustling around you: Fools! Leave those worldly things that shackle the heart – and very often degrade it – leave all that and come with us in search of Love!” -St. Josemaria Escriva.
  • "One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer." - Saint Teresa of Avila.
  • “Leave sadness to those in the world. We who work for God should be light-hearted ."- Saint Leonard of Port Maurice.
  • 8. “You must ask God to give you the power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud.” -St. Vincent de Paul.
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