Solemnity of All Saints
Gospel Reading: Matthew 5:1-12a
In the Gospel, Jesus enumerates those who will be blessed, not necessarily in this life, but in the next. These are: those who mourn, who thirst and hunger for righteousness, who are persecuted, who show mercy, who are peacemakers, and who are pure of heart. These are the individuals who have found that life is not always fair to them. Don’t we sometimes think that because life can be hard, there is something wrong with us?
These individuals have overcome their struggles. They have resisted the temptation to feel sorry for themselves and become “other-centered.” There is not one category of people in this group. They come from many different nationalities, occupations, economic statuses, physical limitations...and the list goes on. We call these people saints, and today is the day we recognize them.
In the beatification/canonization process, the Church assigns a particular feast day to those who are publicly recognized, but heaven is filled with so many who have not attained public recognition. These “unknowns” form the great cloud of witnesses who intercede for us and whom we are destined to join. They are the ordinary people we may have known in life. They didn’t live extraordinary lives but lived simple lives extraordinarily well. The text from Matthew was the blueprint for their lives.
So today’s Gospel points the way for us if we truly want to hear these words of Jesus when we close our eyes on earth and open them in eternity: “Well done, good and faithful servant, come and share your Master’s joy. “
May the communion of saints support us and pray for us on our journey to join them in eternity.
Sister Marcella Louise Wallowicz, CSFN
