During the month of November, we the members of the Church on earth, celebrate the members of the Church in Heaven. As we do so, we celebrate those who are already in Heaven, we pray for our departed loved ones who we hope will be admitted to Heaven through God’s mercy, and we remind ourselves that Heaven is the destiny to which we are also called. Heaven is our true homeland.
We begin the month of November on this November 1st by celebrating the Solemnity of All Saints—a solemnity so important that we celebrate it even when it falls on a Sunday. On the Solemnity of All Saints, we the members of the Church on earth, celebrate the many men and women of previous generations who were once members of the Church on earth, who are now members of the Church in Heaven. Today, we celebrate that “great cloud of witnesses,” who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, and are now members of the Church in Heaven. These saints are the great Christian witnesses who lived their lives in communion with Christ on earth and are now alive and well with Him in Heaven for all eternity. When we think of the saints, we think of those great Christians like St. Pope John Paul II, St. Theresa of Lisieux, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, the Canadian Martyrs, St. Peter and the other famous saints whom are churches are named after. Rightly, we can also think of the less famous members in the Church in Heaven, like the holy people in our own families, who have not been declared by the Church to be saints, but who have inspired us by their way of living and communicating the faith. In the saints we see an example of how we are to live and we are reminded of the fact that Heaven is our true homeland and destiny. St. John Paul II during his own lifetime was a great lover of the saints. He canonized so many of them because he believed that we needed examples of all kinds of saints to remind us that the Christian life was possible for all of us, no matter what our profession or way of life. The saints remind us that through God’s mercy, salvation is possible for each of us.
As we celebrate the saints this weekend, one of the things that all of us are called to remember is that they were once members of the Church on earth and were very much like each of us. So often, we think that the saints were these very pious and holy people who floated during their life on earth. While it is true that some saints, like St. Theresa of Avila and St. Padre Pio, enjoyed some extraordinary experiences in the spiritual life, the majority lived very ordinary and normal lives. Happily, most saints were ordinary human beings who became extraordinary because they allowed God’s grace to penetrate their human fragility. The Gospels show us a great example of how normal many of the saints whom associated with Jesus were. I am greatly comforted by the fact that in the Gospels the apostles are always confused about what Jesus is trying to tell them and never seem to get it right. Jesus is constantly having to correct and explain things to them. Our own parish patron, the Prince of the Apostles, St. Peter, was so human that he is always getting it wrong. Peter denies the Lord three times, takes out his sword as Jesus is being arrested and is always losing his temper. Despite his humanity, Peter’s faith and love of the Lord allows him to die to self so that the Lord may penetrate his heart and make him a new creation in Christ. Through the life of the saints, we all have an example that allows us to hope that through God’s grace, each one of us can be saved and find our way to our true homeland in Heaven.
After we celebrate the saints today on November 1st, on November 2nd and throughout the month of November, we pray for all of our deceased loved ones and ask God that through His mercy our loved ones might also be admitted to Heaven and numbered among the saints. By praying for our loved ones in November, we affirm our Christian belief that Jesus has destroyed death and that our loved ones are alive and well with the Lord. It is so important to remember that we are still able to express our love for those who have died by praying for them and asking God to show them His mercy. Every time we come to Mass, we offer the sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood in communion with the Church on earth and the Church in Heaven. In each celebration of the Eucharist, we pray not only for the members of the Church on earth, but also for our loved ones who have died and who we pray through God’s mercy are now members of the Church in Heaven. If we used to go to Mass with our parents and grandparents who have now passed on to God, we should remember that Mass is the one place that we can still be with them as we are joined to the altar in Heaven in each Eucharistic sacrifice. Every time I offer Mass, I always think of those members of the Church on earth who were once a part of my earthly journey and I ask God to admit them, as I hope He will one day admit me, to the Kingdom of Heaven.
The readings for this solemnity are truly intended to remind us of this connection that exists between the Church on earth and the Church in Heaven. The Beatitudes, which we hear this Sunday, from Matthew’s Gospel, present us with a word over and over again that we associate with the saints. Throughout the Beatitudes we hear over and over again the word “blessed.” The Beatitudes tell us that those who do the will of God here on earth will be “blessed.” This word “blessed” means to be in God’s presence. When something is “blessed” it is set aside for God. A thing or a person becomes “un-blessed” when it is taken out of God’s presence. The call of the Beatitudes to live a “blessed” life reminds us that we are called to live in God’s presence today so that we might live in God’s presence for all eternity. We also call blessed those who are in God’s presence in Heaven.
When we see in the Book of Genesis the way that Adam and Eve lived in the beginning before they sinned, we understand that they lived in God’s presence. They were in communion with God and they feared nothing. Their life before sin was to live in a state of blessedness with God. Through their sin, they turned their backs on God and were cast out of the Garden. They were no longer in communion with God and lived according to their own selfish inclinations. This is how we live without Christ. Christ has come into the world to be the way, the truth and the life. He invites us to live in communion with God during this life so that we might live in communion with God for all eternity. By living the Beatitudes, we are called to live the “blessed” life today so that we might live for all eternity with God the blessed life of Heaven.
In Italian, the name for All Saints is “Tutti Santi.” Pope Francis has written an encyclical that was published this past October 3 to celebrate the feast of St. Francis—it is entitled “Tutti Fratelli.” For me, this title reminds us of the communion that is to exist between all of the members of the Church on earth as they pilgrim to the Church in Heaven. Pope Francis’ encyclical “Tutti Fratelli” presents a daring vision of the global concerns and the “communion” that ought to exist between all persons. He presents a bold vision of the way all of us as members of God’s family ought to attempt to live together in love. He dreams of a world where the humanity of all persons is respected and each is given his or her due from the gifts of creation. In some ways this encyclical presents a social vision that builds on “Laudate si” and its concern that the environment be protected and respected as a gift from the Creator for all people. I would describe the encyclical “Tutti Fratelli” as presenting a vision of what the world would look like if we all dared to live the Beatitudes.
One of the things that the readings for this solemnity of All Saints challenge us to realize is that if we wish to spend eternity with God in Heaven, we are invited to live in communion with God here on earth. The readings present our life here on earth as one being united with our life in Heaven. As the psalm states, “Lord, this is the company of those who seek your face,” we are reminded that we are called to live our lives on earth as though we actually longed to see God’s face today. We are to strive to see God in the way we conduct our affairs and relate to one another. The second reading from the First Letter of Saint John reminds us that God has called us His children today and what we shall later be will be revealed. You and I, who are called to be saints, are already called God’s children. If we ever think that it is impossible to be saints, we should remember that we are already God’s children. This great dignity has been given to us as a result of God’s love. It is because of God’s love and mercy, which has already made us His children, that we dare to believe that we might also be joined to Him for all eternity as saints in Heaven. As we celebrate the saints in Heaven, we are reminded that because of our baptism, we are also called to become saints.
The call that is given to all of the baptized to be members of the Church in Heaven is emphasized in today’s first reading from the Book of Revelation. Some people read the number of the one hundred forty-four thousand who are to be saved and think that this implies a limited number. This number is meant to be a symbolic number for the fullness of those to be saved. For the Jews, in order for there to be enough people gathered to worship, there had to be ten adult males. Here we have a number of representatives from the twelve tribes of Israel times twelve all meeting times a thousand. This number is intended to communicate an assembly that is full and complete. It speaks of the hope that none will be left behind. Christian tradition has always interpreted those who are marked and sealed in this reading as the baptized who have been anointed and sealed in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation. The fact that the judgement in this reading does not come right away is interpreted to signify the patience of a God who gives time to all to turn and be saved. God is patient and desires that we all be saved.
As the Book of Revelation speaks to us of the great assembly of the Heavenly Church that gathers around the throne of God, we are also reminded of the assembly that we belong to as members of the Church on earth. Every time that we come to Mass, we are called to enjoy the life of the blessed by coming into Christ’s presence and being invited to live as his people on earth. At the Mass, we hear Christ’s Word proclaimed and receive the gift of His Body and Blood. As the Gospel today reminds us, at Mass, when we hear Christ’s call to live as His brothers and sisters—as children of God—we are called to live the blessed life as His people today. This blessed life invites us to hear Christ’s Word and live it in our relations with others. We are blessed as we receive the gift of Christ’s sacrifice of His Body and Blood and model our lives on His example and offer our own lives as a sacrifice of love to our Father in Heaven. At the Eucharist, we are challenged to live the blessed life not just by aspiring to be saints in Heaven, but by being reminded that we are to live as brothers and sisters on earth. As we celebrate this Sunday the Solemnity of All Saints, the readings remind us that in order to become saints we must live, as Pope Francis calls is to live in his most recent encyclical “Tutti Fratelli,”as brothers and sisters.
The name that is given to the saints in Heaven in our liturgy is “blessed.” As the saints are now in God’s presence, they are called “blessed.” The Gospel this Sunday reminds us that we are called to live in God’s presence today by daring to live the blessed life of the Beatitudes. That this life is possible for us today through God’s love and mercy is something that we are reminded of each time we come to Mass and come into Christ’s presence at the Eucharist. We are called to be members of the Church in Heaven by living our lives today in communion with Christ. Our Eucharistic assemblies are the company of those who seek to see the face of Christ today. Our hopes are realized in the Eucharist. This realization is expressed in the beautiful words that we say as we gaze on the Body of Christ before we receive Him in the Eucharist: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”
On the Solemnity of All Saints, we celebrate that we are called to the Eternal Banquet in Heaven. We celebrate those who are already in Heaven at this banquet—the Saints in Glory. We hold the saints up today as examples of the life we are to live on our way to Heaven. In the saints, we are reminded of what we are called to be, and assured that in our humanity that through God’s grace, salvation is possible for all. Today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, God invites us to live the blessed life today, so that we might be blessed with Him for all eternity in Heaven. As St. John reminds us so beautifully in today’s second reading: “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
As we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints, may we all have the grace to live as God’s children today so that we may live with Him and the saints in glory for all eternity.
Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor, St. Peter’s Church—Toronto.
This reflection based on the readings for the Solemnity of All Saints: Revelation 7: 2-4, 9-14; Psalm 24; 1 John 3:1-3; and Matthew 5: 1-12.
