For all the Saints – Reflecting on a Great Hymn of the Church

103113One of the greatest English hymns ever written, is “For All the Saints.” It is a wide and sweeping vision of the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant. It’s imagery is regal and joyful, it’s poetry majestic and masterful. A vivid picture is painted in the mind as the wondrous words move by. If you ask me it is a masterpiece. Many people know the opening line, but most have never sung it all the way through and thus miss its wondrous portrait. A number of years ago I committed words of this hymn to memory, very much like my father who loved to memorize things that moved him.

Spend a few moments now reflecting on this masterwork. It was written in 1864 by William Walsham How, an Anglican Bishop. Ralph Vaughan Williams set it to a stirring melody in 1906. I love to play this hymn at the organ since it has a challenging but exciting “walking base” played by the feet and big rich chords in the hands. In his recent outreach to the Anglicans the Pope speaks of the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion as a “precious gift” and treasure to shared”. This hymn from the Anglican tradition is surely one of those treasures. Permit me to set forth each verse and then comment.

First we cast our eyes heavenward to the Church Triumphant:

For all the saints, who from their labours rest,
Who Thee by faith before the world confessed,

Thy Name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.

Alleluia!

Here then in the first verses is stated the purpose of the hymn. Namely, that we sing to and praise God for all those saints who have finished their course here and entered into the rest of the Lord. Like the the Lord they can say, “It is finished.” Like St. Paul they can say, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day (2 Tim 4:7-8). These saints declared to world the holy and blessed name of Jesus by their words and deeds. They confessed and did not deny him. To them and us Jesus made a promise: Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven (Matt 10:32). And we too are summoned to take up the cry: “Blessed be the Name of the Lord!”

Thou wast their Rock, their Fortress and their Might;
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, their one true Light.
Alleluia!

Salvation and the living of a holy and courageous life is only possible by the grace of God. Only if God be our rock, our defender and our strength can we stand a chance in the battle of this earthly life. Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5) St. Paul taught that the ancient Israelites made it through the desert only by Christ for he wrote: they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them in the desert, and that rock was Christ. (1 Cor 10:4). So Jesus is a rock in a weary land, a shelter in a time of storm! Only in Christ and by his light could they have the strength for the battle and win through to the victory.

O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.
Alleluia!

Ah here then is our connecting verse. We, here on earth (the Church Militant) share blessed communion with the saints in heaven because we are one in Christ. The body of Christ is one and so we hav communion with the saints. We are not in separate compartments unconnected to the saints in heaven. No, we are one in Christ and have communion with them. And though we feebly struggle here on earth, the vision of the glory they already share and our communion with them strengthens us. The Book of Hebrews referring to the saints in heaven says: Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us! (Heb 12:1-2)

Having gazed heavenward and derived strength from our mystical communion with the Saints in Christ, the hymn now sets forth the trials of the Church militant and counsels: Courage!

O may Thy soldiers, faithful, true and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win with them the victor’s crown of gold.
Alleluia!

We now who live here are told to be like courageous soldiers holding firm and loyal to the end to the true faith. We like they must often fight bravely in a world that is hostile to Christ and his truth. So fight we must, in a noble way for the crown comes only after the cross. But the victory will one day be ours. It doesn’t always look that way now, But Christ has already won the victory. And even if this world deprives us, ridicules us or even kills us, the victor’s Crown awaits to all who remain faithful. Jesus said, You will be hated by all because of me, be he who perseveres to the end will be saved. (Matt 10:22)

Now comes a call to courage rooted in song that faith puts in our hearts. Psalm 40 says: I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. It is a song that echoes from heaven, through the words of scripture and the teachings of the Church: Victory is our today! Here the call and source of courage in this verse:

And when the strife is fierce, the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave, again, and arms are strong.
Alleluia!

For now, it is God’s will that we hear the call “still to fight on.” For now we are in the Church militant. But here the verses of the hymn direct us back toward heavenly things and the last things. For, one day the battle will end for us. The hymn speaks elegantly of the “golden evening” of life and the “rest” that death will one day bring. And, likely through the purifying effects of purgatory, we shall one day pass where we will cast off our burdens, our sorrows and final sins. There the Lord will wipe every tear from our eyes (cf Rev. 21:4).

The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors comes their rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blessed.
Alleluia!

And then an even more glorious day breaks forth. The hymn closes the circle and we are back in heaven again! There the saints are clothed in bright array and the heavenly liturgy is beautifully captured in two lines as it describes the saints in worshipful praise as the King of Glory, Jesus passes by in triumphal procession. What a glorious vision this verse provides:

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on His way.
Alleluia!

And the hymn takes one final look. We have come full circle from heaven to earth and back to heaven again. We have made our journey but now the hymn bids us to cast our glance outward and see the magnificent procession that continues for all who will come after us. Jesus had said, “And I when I be lifted from the earth with draw all men unto me.” (Jn 12:32) So now look fellow Christian! Look outward from a heavenly perspective and see the harvest as Christ draws countless numbers to himself:

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:
Alleluia!

Ah, what a hymn. What a sweeping vision and wondrous celebration of the Christian life. Though the battle be now engaged, victory is sure if we but stand firm and hold to God’s unchanging hand.


29 Replies to “For all the Saints – Reflecting on a Great Hymn of the Church”

  1. We sang it tonight but only the first verse was as written above. I didn’t recognize any of the other verses. I really wish they would not re-write classic hymns!!!

  2. Thank you very much for this. Are there other hymns you would consider truly great, that is, combing both excellent music and stirring lyrics?

  3. The hymn is simply beautiful and wonderfully complete! Thank you! As an aside, I am completely mesmerized by the organist. What talent!

  4. I got to kiss a relic of St. Martin de Porres today. I am glad that I got to participate in that.

  5. All Saints is one of my favorite feasts, and this hymn is my favorite of the day! I always get teary-eyed at the end imagining the sight of the countless host streaming in!

  6. When my Dad passed on at age 97, he had been bedridden long enough to have conversations with some of his kids about a memorial service. As a young man he had done some post-college work at Tulane, in New Orleans.
    At his request, after the funeral mass, and with permission from the Pastor of his Catholic parish, a brass quartet played, in dixieland tempo “Oh, when the saints go marching in, oh Lord I want to be in that number. . ”
    We, his children all loved it, and I think most of those in attendance did also.
    I recognize that this song may not be in the OCP Music Issue; but it wasn’t sung; we just enjoyed the instrumental work and memories of the words.
    TeaPot562

    1. TeaPot562,

      I’m from Louisiana and love our heritage across the state. It warmed my heart to read this. God rest the soul of your dear father. Thank you for sharing.

    2. If OCP doesn’t have it, then it’s probably a great hymn to sing.

      The ecumenical community I belong to occasionally sings this hymn, all eight verses, Not in the updated, modern-Americans-can’t-comprehend-thees-and-thous version.

      “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” is a stirring, theologically rich Easter hymn, Which my parish, the Church of the Resurrection, has resumed singing to conclude the Holy Saturday night Mass, after years of neglecting it in favor of some lesser, modern tripe.

      “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” is, for my money, the most theologically sophisticated hymn available in English for celebrating the Incarnation.

      Nothing evokes a sense of the fear of the Lord, for me anyway, like the fourth verse of “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.” Makes me afraid of and eager for Heaven at the same time.

  7. We sang this one loud and strong today! Other theologically rich, great hymns include the Church’s One Foundation and Crown HIm with Many Crowns.

  8. As a former United Methodist (now R. Catholic) I am thankful that the church nows sings the song at mass (last Sun & today). As a choir member in grade school I memorized this song – only 5 verses but my Catholic friends are amazed that I can sing it w/o looking at the hymnal.

  9. Although I cannot add to what you have already written, may I add my Amen.
    I have always loved this masterpiece.

  10. We sang this beautiful hymn today, too, but only 2 verses. I would love to hear the whole hymn sung, but I think we might lose some of our parishioners. Thank you for the background. I sang it in the Episcopal Church before becoming Catholic but never learned the history.

  11. We sang all 8 verses growing up Lutheran. I love being Catholic but miss all those great, rich hymns!

  12. If only we value our Catholic faith, the importance of being a saint and for which we are called this earth will also become a heaven for us and we all saints for our contemporaries.

    1. What a Glorious Destiny awaits all of us who remain loyal to Christ and to His Church until the very last day of our lives…what a truely beautiful hymn which should inspire us until the very end of our lives…thank you, Monsignor Pope, for ever blessing us with your inspirational e-mails…

      1. “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the Things which God has prepared for those who love Him”

  13. Msgr. Pope, Thank you so very much ! I am an organist for many years and use this beautiful hymn, but I too have not been aware of some of these other exceptional verses. Many thanks and God bless you !!

  14. My biggest cause for regret about leaving Anglicanism to become Catholic in 2006 remains the loss of Anglican church music. Thank you for this reflection!

  15. What a hymn. This is a source of strength to us on earht. Lets keep in fight on firmly.

  16. I was helping my brother in law come up with hymns for his wife’s memorial service, and, ‘For all the Saints,” came immediately to mind. It is great to see Monsignor Pope mention this wonderful Protestant Hymn as hymn of the Catholic Church. But of course, it was written by an Anglican bishop, the Bishop of Wakefield, William W. How, published in 1864, then appropriated by the Lutherans, United Methodists, and Presbyterians – and finally – a century later when the Catholics decided to use Protestant hymns – by the Roman Catholics. It is truly a universal hymn now.

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