All Saints Feast

Nov.1^st, 15  Sunday Homily: Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI       

Rv. 7:2-4, 9-14; Ps 24:1-4ab, 5-6; 1Jn 3:1-3; Mt.5:1-12

For Readings

http://www.usccb.org/nab/110115.shtml

Last year on the feast of All saints, our holy Father Pope Francis in his homily said, "If today we are remembering these brothers and sisters of ours who lived before us and are now in heaven, they are there because they were washed in the blood of Christ. That is our hope, and this hope does not disappoint. If we live our lives with the Lord, he will never disappoint us. We are children of God, and live in hope of one day seeing God as he is…On the feast of All Saints and before the Day of the Dead, it is important to think about hope. The early Christians used an anchor as a symbol of hope, and to have our hearts anchored up there where our loved ones are, where the saints are, where Jesus is, where God is -- that is hope. That is the hope that doesn't disappoint." Today’s reading from the 7th chapter of the Book of Revelation described a multitude of people from every race and nation standing before God. They were dressed in white, the pope said, “..because, they were washed in the blood of the Lamb. We can enter into heaven only thanks to the blood of the lamb, the blood of Christ."

Today we are celebrating the feast of all saints, the faithful in Jesus Christ. This is the feast of all who reached the highest rank in the Catholic Church. With a life based on gospel message, we become washed in the blood of the Lamb and reach the highest rank.

In today’s Gospel we have Jesus’ charter for his kingdom, a list of qualities which characterize the sanctified brethren. In the great summary of Jesus’ teaching that has been called the ‘Sermon on the Mount,’ Jesus announces the invitation and promise for all people to become saints. God blesses all those who fit into the categories called the beatitudes.

In the context of today’s feast, the gospel message tells us the way to become a saint. But do we really understand what that means? As we mark this All Saints Day, it is tempting to put saints, literally, on a pedestal.  When we enter any catholic church, just look around.  We see saints in stained glass, in wood, in marble. We look at them with great devotion and honor. We pray for their intercession. But this feast tells us to do something more as our Holy Father reminds. We need to hear what this feast says to us. It is a summons, a call, a challenge to every one of us.   All Saints Day is nothing less than a dare. This feast says to us: dare to be more. Dare to be a saint. We may struggle or fight for many causes, privileges, positions and ranks with many holy and evil ambitions. But, this is the cause we need to fight for in our personal life in the Church with a noble ambition.

As recently one of the Bishops said in an interview, in the Catholic Church, sainthood is the highest rank. It is a noble ambition, an ideal, and everyone can and must strive for it, keeping our hope in God and becoming washed in the blood of the Lamb.  Can we realistically expect to attain this rank? Life of saints and the Church says, ‘YES’. All of these saints were just like us. They lived with flesh and blood, strength and weakness.  They were people of appetites and longings, ambitions and disappointments, vanities and eccentricities. They were simple sinners just like the rest of us. That was how they began.  But they didn’t stop there. They accepted the challenge to be a saint. In the effort, the simple but reassuring fact is that nobody is born a saint. It’s something we have to become.

All baptized Christians who have died and are now with God in glory are considered Saints. It was Pope Gregory IV who in 835 ordered the Feast of All Saints to be universally observed on Nov. 1.  It is a day on which we thank God for giving ordinary men and women a share in His holiness and heavenly glory as a reward for their faith. The feast is observed also to honor them by imitating their lives and seeking their intercession for us before Christ to live a gospel life.

Today, let us be reminded that God's call for holiness is universal, and all are called to live in His love and make His love real in the lives of those around us. We find saints from all areas and ages of life, from kings to the beggars, illiterate to the scholars and scientists, from master to the slaves, from aged to the children etc. Holiness is related to the word wholesomeness. It means, living a life of integrity and truth, wholesome and a life with hope in God, in which we are close to others while being close with God. One can’t be a saint and selfish at the same time. Transcending the selfish attitudes and motives along with worldly ambitions and leading a life of love in charity and faith, are essential requirements to accept the challenge of becoming a saint.

All Saints Day invites us to something beautiful.  It reminds us of our great potential, the promise that lies within each of us. It is nothing but the promise of holiness. It is the promise that was fulfilled in the countless people we venerate today as our models, our companions, our inspirations, our guides. They give us blessed hope.

Let us focus our mind and heart with hope anchored in God and become washed in the blood of Lamb. All saints are at our help. Let us approach them with a sincere desire to be a saint. Let us pray for their intercessions to overcome the hurdles which we encounter in this life. Let us seek joy in the Lord and rejoice in the Lord. God bless you.