1/11/2007 - All Saints
First Reading; Revelations 7,2-4.9-14; Psalm 24;
Second Reading: I John 3,1-3; Gospel Reading Matt5,1-12
The deeper meaning of this celebration can be understood in Jesus words; "whoever
serves me will be honoured by my Father"! If those who have served Jesus
are honoured by the Father, let us honour them too. Their love and service can
be an example to us and we have much joy in their being honoured by the Father.
They are our brothers and sisters and therefore, all the family joins in their
glory. They are members of the body of Christ, they are the members who render
that light which the three disciples admired on Mount Tabor most luminous, that
same light which shone from the face of the risen Lord.
The lives of these brothers and sisters can be read in the words of the sermon
on the mount: they are the poor in spirit, the gentle, the sorrowful, the persecuted
in the cause of right, the pure of heart, those who show mercy, the peacemakers.
These words of Jesus help us to see why their lives were and continue to be
pleasing to God and not only, but they continue to be a gift, an enrichment
not only to the Church, but to all humanity. Their lives also help us understand
the true meaning behind Jesus' words. They lived the Word and the Word can come
to us in the form of a human life. They are indeed the letter of which St Paul
speaks, God's letter which can be understood by everyone, even the illiterate.
Their presence in the Church gives me joy; I, who stumble in my spiritual life,
am consoled by their faith, I am stimulated by their dedication to witnessing
the presence and truth of Jesus. From their poverty and their obedience I am
helped in taking Jesus' teachings seriously and to see that I too can embrace
them and live them. From their humility and from their purity of feeling and
thought, I am also helped to be content with the love that Jesus gives me, without
depending on receiving it from men or women. Their patience motivates and gives
me the strength to be above all, alert so that the spirit of criticism and condemnation
does not take hold of me and I am helped to carry Jesus' cross of the sins of
my brothers and sisters just like Simon of Cyrene.
With them I can experience the love of the Father who see us and wants us as
his beloved children! As children we have the joy of belonging to him and of
belonging to others in him! With this joy we are witnesses to his Son who is
the centre of the celestial assembly, the hope of all mankind who are in this
world by God's will.
To be a witness to Jesus is a gift from God so that our lives will have meaning
and be infinitely precious. Blessed are those who bear witness to Jesus and
may those who are aware fill their lives and that of the Church with blessing.
Many Christians are unable to experience the joy of faith because they do not
know how to witness for Jesus! Many Christians can see no meaning to their lives,
to their solitude and their suffering, to their efforts because they do not
realize that they can be witnesses to Jesus! Many Christians remain slaves to
blasphemous ways of behaving and speaking, which are a scandal to the young
and to the followers of other religions for they do not resolve to be witnesses
of Jesus. To be a witness of Jesus is the gift of the Holy Spirit, the reason
for the holy sacraments, the reason for the difficulty in remaining loyal and
trusting in the gospel and in our vocation as disciples of the Lord.
Let us serve Jesus and become witnesses of his presence, of his truth, of his
cross and we will be honoured by the Father together with all those in whom
his holiness shines!
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for shining your light from the faces of many of our
brothers and sisters! Thank you for giving us the means through your Word to
manifest the mercy and compassion of the Father! Thank you for keeping us in
communion with them by means of your holy Spirit!