01 November. Feast of All Saints

1st Reading: Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14

Many were sealed with the sign of the Living God

I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to damage earth and sea, saying, “Do not damage the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have marked the servants of our God with a seal on their foreheads.” And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel.

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, singing, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “Sir, you are the one that knows.” Then he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

2nd Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

The Father has loved us, making us children of God

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Beatitudes that lead to the Kingdom of Heaven

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Who are all this glorious band?

In all honesty we must accept that the life beyond the grave is quite beyond our ken, for “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, what God has prepared” [1 Cor 2:9 ]. And yet, images from the Bible and Christian tradition offer some foretaste of what lies in store, beyond this present world. We trust that those who have gone to God before us are neither plaster saints, nor gloomy shades, but people who have lived life with such love and decency they went went straight back to the God who created us in God’s image, in order to be forever with our Maker. They went “marching in” — happy to be meeting face to face with the One who always held them in the palm of his hand. Heroes and ordinary people. Some who have inspired the church for centuries, and other unsung heroes, living a quiet life of family, work and friendship, in the spirit of the Gospel, as peacemakers, pure of heart and gentle of spirit.

Today’s glowing text from Revelation calls them “a multitude that no one could count” — because of God’s rich mercy, and as Jesus assured his friends before his departure from this life, in the Father’s House there are many mansions. There’s surely place for all of us in God’s house, and the surest way there is to cling to our Saviour who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Live the good life

Jesus has just given us his challenging advice on how to be good people. He has told us, in fact, how to be the best people we can be, and about the qualities he wants to see in us, his followers. A quick focus on those qualities shows us that they are the very opposite of many standards and values proposed in popular culture:

In many ways our secular culture says, Blessed are the rich, because they can have anything they want. But Jesus says, Blessed are the poor in spirit. By poor in spirit he means those who put their trust in God rather than money; and those who admit that it is not their income, possessions or bank account that makes them rich in the eyes of God, but what kind of people they are.

Worldly culture praises those who live it up, and have fun at all costs. But Jesus says, Blessed are those who mourn. He means those who are willing to feel the misfortune and sorrow of others, and respond to them with understanding, compassion, and practical help.

Worldly culture esteems the assertive, who always manage to get their own way. But Jesus says, Blessed are the gentle. In his book there’s no place for bullying.

Worldly culture praises those who win status, and fame. But Jesus says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for what is right. The only power and status we really need is to keep living in God ?’s way and to keep doing the right thing. More satisfaction and contentment will be found in living with a good conscience than in hanging out with the movers and shakers and wannabes of this world.

Our world seems to say, show no mercy and take no prisoners. But Jesus says, Blessed are the merciful. Happy are those who make allowances for the faults and sins of others, and whose greatness lies in their ability to forgive. They will receive mercy and forgiveness from God for their own sins.

Our world seems to say, Happy are those with clean fingernails, sparkling eyes, gleaming teeth, and unblemished skin. But Jesus says, blessed are those with clean hearts. It is from the heart that all our thoughts, words, and actions flow If the heart is clean, then everything that flows from it will be clean, as clean as water flowing from an unpolluted spring.

Worldly culture esteems those who get even and exact revenge. But Jesus says, Blessed are the peacemakers. Happy are those who spread understanding among people, those who welcome strangers, and those who work for a more just and equal society. They are truly the children of God.

Worldly culture esteems those who lie and cheat and get away with it. But Jesus says, Blessed are those who make a stand for what is right and true. They may suffer for their stand, but the wounds they bear will be marks of honour and integrity. Jesus practiced what he preached. In his own person he was the beatitudes. Living them day after day made him the thoroughly good person he was. It ?’s the same for us too.

Today’s feast is less concerned with the canonised saints than about all the good and fair-minded people who have ever lived. None of us, I feel sure, is expecting to be a canonised saint. We don’t fantasise that one day some pope will declare to the world what model Christians we were. Not for a moment do we imagine anyone praying through our intercession, or carrying around pieces of us as relics. We don’t foresee any statues of us being carried high in processions. Christianity believes in the universal call to holiness. So surely our Feast today is reminding us of our deep-down longings to become better people than we currently are. The saints were fully human. They struggled with temptation; they tasted life’s joys. On All Saint’s day we think of all the good people who have crossed our path and enriched our life — parents, classmates, neighbours and workmates. They were not perfect, but they were in their own way great human beings.

Ending on a lighter note: A priest once asked a class of nine-year-olds: “What do you have to do to become a saint?” One hand shot up: “Die, Father,” said the little boy. But Jesus would say, rather: “Live your life to the full!” For indeed, sainthood starts right here and now.