Friday – 30th Week of Ordinary Time B – Solemnity of All Saints

Published on 31 October 2024 at 13:03

As we begin the beautiful month of November, we gather to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, a feast that reminds us of the immense cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, living lives of holiness and virtue, inspiring us to pursue our own paths to sanctity. The readings we heard today paint a beautiful picture of the communion of saints and the glory that awaits those who remain steadfast in faith.

In the reading from Revelation, we witness a vision of a great multitude standing before the throne of God, wearing white robes, and crying out, “Salvation comes from our God.” This multitude is made up of saints from every corner of the earth, gathered together in worship, united in praise and intercession. What a powerful image! As we recall the lives of these saints, we recognize that they are not just examples for us to admire from afar; they are our advocates and intercessors in heaven, which brings us to a vital truth about our belief in their role. Many passages in Scripture affirm that the saints intercede for us. For example, in Revelation 5:8, we learn that the golden bowls in heaven hold the prayers of the saints: “When he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” 

This image beautifully illustrates the interconnectedness between us and the saints when it comes to directing our prayers to God. It is true that God hears all of our prayers and answers them in his time and in his way, but he has allowed for us to help each other and pray for each other, knowing that he has created us to inhabit heaven as his united children forever. In other words, the unity of the blessed that will animate the halls of heaven begins even here, as we unite with them and ask them to intercede for us. It’s much like asking one of your friends to pray for you, and the saints in heaven, because they live before God, are also able to be called upon for intercessory prayer. And of course the greatest of all the saints, is our Blessed Mother who is most powerful in her prayers for us before the throne of God, where she is refused nothing by Jesus given that all her petitions are compatible with the will of God. Her intercession in Cana is a case in point. How beautiful is our Mother!

The first letter of John also gives us profound insight into our identity as children of God and the potential for holiness. John tells us, “We are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” This reminder calls us to recognize our call to holiness and our future glory. The saints, in their lives, exemplified this call, revealing what is possible when one fully embraces their identity as a child of God. They lived in such a way that their pure love and faith transformed them into conduits of God’s grace.

In the Gospel, we find the Beatitudes, where Jesus lays out the characteristics of those who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. The saints are those who embody these very qualities: the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, and the persecuted. As we reflect on their lives, we realize that they, too, were once like us—struggling with sin, facing temptations, and yearning for connection with God. They attained holiness through their trust in God’s grace, and now, they enjoy eternal bliss, interceding for all of us who continue to walk the pilgrimage of faith.

So, as we stand in reverence before this great assembly of saints, let us take heart in knowing that they are rooting for us, interceding for us, and inviting us to strive for the same holiness they attained. Let us pray for the grace to live as they did, with love, humility, and faith, trusting that one day we, too, will stand before the throne of God, wearing white robes and joining the heavenly chorus if like them we tread the path that is narrow, the one which involves sacrifice and altruism, inspired and animated by the good Lord himself who is the way and the truth that alone makes eternal bliss possible in the land of the living.

Through the intercession of all the saints, united with our dear and most precious Mother Mary, and her pure and holy spouse, Saint Joseph, may Almighty God bless you, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Amen.


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