Solemnity of All Saints
(Rev 7:2-4, 9-14; 1Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12)
1.0. The Vision of the Saints
Today we celebrate the Saints in Heaven. This celebration fills us with hope that our pilgrimage on earth has a blissful end in God. “In my Father's house there are many rooms” (Jn 14:2). Our eyes are turned heavenwards as we remember our brothers and sisters who already share in eternal life in God's Kingdom. The first reading narrates the vision of the great multitude of the Saints from every part of the world, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with Palm branches in their hands while proclaiming the salvation of God. The Saints are those, “who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
The eternal life of the Saints is more than a mere vision; it is God's promise, an expression of His love for us. The immeasurable love of God for us shines out in the reality of the Saints. This is what the second reading explains. So, while in this earthly life, we live with the hope of sharing in the glory of the Saints. This automatically puts us at odds with the world and its standards, which neglects God and His promises. Therefore, the children of God must wrestle through great tribulations in order to be revealed and crowned with the glory of the Saints.
2.0. “For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”
The way to sainthood is open to all peoples in every aspects of their lives or the situations they might find themselves. Jesus gives the BEATITUDES as the new way of living that inclines one to Heaven and draws to him heavenly graces. They reveal that God's “blessedness” is readily available and awaits us if we approach life with the right spiritual disposition. The promises of God's Blessedness to our earthly life is a foretaste of the glory of the Saints, which we shall receive at the end.
The way of life revealed in the Beatitudes is completely in opposition to wordily standards. This leaves us with the freedom to choose how to model our lives. By choosing to live according to the standard revealed in the Beatitudes, we have chosen to share in the glory of the Saints. And its Blessedness will begin to manifest itself in us today. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Sunday November 1st, 2020.
Solemnity of All Saints.
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