The Feast of ALL SAINTS
November 1, 2009
This Sunday the entire Catholic Church and many Protestant churches will celebrate the Feast of All Saints – thus honoring the many men and women who entered heaven after fulfilling their portion of time on this earth without serious sin still unresolved.
Did you notice that this statement says nothing about Rome or Canonization or heroic deeds? That is because everyone who is in heaven is a saint. Does this surprise you? We hear so much about the great celebrations in Rome or other places where certain people are officially declared as Saints of the Catholic Church. And that is because, after a long process of examination and fool-proof evidence and much prayer these people have been declared as being in heaven and, as a result of this process, their names are placed on a list (canon) of those who we can rightfully say are in heaven. The media will, of course, take this up and report that the Catholic Church has just “made” ‘So-and-So’ a Saint. Such reporting gives the public the wrong impression that it was the Church who made this person a Saint. No! The individual himself or herself in cooperation with the Holy Spirit made himself or herself the saint. The Church only declares who is in heaven by virtue of the process mentioned above. Therefore, by definition, anyone who enters heaven is a saint – the word “saint” means holy person.
We can take comfort from this understanding. If we know a good soul, such as your Aunt Dorothy or Mrs. Parks down the street, or even Uncle Joe who was a big help to the poor, must surely be in heaven, then they, in your mind, can be considered a Saint. Obviously, you can’t refer to them as Saint Dorothy or Saint Mrs. Parks or Saint Uncle Joe, nonetheless, you can be comforted from thinking about them as being saints and rightfully so.
Further, the Church states that we should remember that our dearly departed loved ones are able to help us get to heaven at the end of our time. There is a relationship that exists among those in heaven, those departed souls waiting to get into heaven and those of us still struggling here on earth. We call this relationship the Communion of Saints. The Church further states that those who now enjoy the beatific vision in heaven can, through their prayers, assist us here on earth. (CCC, # 954 – 962)
The First Reading from the Book of Revelation (7:2 – 4, 9 -14) describes a scene within a vision by the seer, John, wherein the Angel identifies those who “are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” This is a symbolic way of saying: “These are the successful ones who made their souls clean by partaking of the benefits of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.”
The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm (24:1 - ). This psalm describes those waiting their time, knowing that they will eventually get to heaven. Obviously, “This is the people that longs to see your face.”
In the Second Reading, John is describing those, still here on earth, who have made the commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Even though they do not know for certain what lies ahead, they have “this hope based on Him.”
The Gospel Reading from Matthew (5:1 – 12a) is the familiar Beatitudes which represent the rewards for those who follow the perfect teachings of Christ. This is the formula for the perfect Christian life and he who follows it will surely become a saint whether the Vatican, or anyone, or no one knows it. Something to think about during your Prayer Time this week!
Happy All Saints Day, Everyone!
MFB
Sunday Commentary
The Feast of ALL SAINTS
November 1, 2009
This Sunday the entire Catholic Church and many Protestant churches will celebrate the Feast of All Saints – thus honoring the many men and women who entered heaven after fulfilling their portion of time on this earth without serious sin still unresolved.
Did you notice that this statement says nothing about Rome or Canonization or heroic deeds? That is because everyone who is in heaven is a saint. Does this surprise you? We hear so much about the great celebrations in Rome or other places where certain people are officially declared as Saints of the Catholic Church. And that is because, after a long process of examination and fool-proof evidence and much prayer these people have been declared as being in heaven and, as a result of this process, their names are placed on a list (canon) of those who we can rightfully say are in heaven. The media will, of course, take this up and report that the Catholic Church has just “made” ‘So-and-So’ a Saint. Such reporting gives the public the wrong impression that it was the Church who made this person a Saint. No! The individual himself or herself in cooperation with the Holy Spirit made himself or herself the saint. The Church only declares who is in heaven by virtue of the process mentioned above. Therefore, by definition, anyone who enters heaven is a saint – the word “saint” means holy person.
We can take comfort from this understanding. If we know a good soul, such as your Aunt Dorothy or Mrs. Parks down the street, or even Uncle Joe who was a big help to the poor, must surely be in heaven, then they, in your mind, can be considered a Saint. Obviously, you can’t refer to them as Saint Dorothy or Saint Mrs. Parks or Saint Uncle Joe, nonetheless, you can be comforted from thinking about them as being saints and rightfully so.
Further, the Church states that we should remember that our dearly departed loved ones are able to help us get to heaven at the end of our time. There is a relationship that exists among those in heaven, those departed souls waiting to get into heaven and those of us still struggling here on earth. We call this relationship the Communion of Saints. The Church further states that those who now enjoy the beatific vision in heaven can, through their prayers, assist us here on earth. (CCC, # 954 – 962)
The First Reading from the Book of Revelation (7:2 – 4, 9 -14) describes a scene within a vision by the seer, John, wherein the Angel identifies those who “are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” This is a symbolic way of saying: “These are the successful ones who made their souls clean by partaking of the benefits of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.”
The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm (24:1 - ). This psalm describes those waiting their time, knowing that they will eventually get to heaven. Obviously, “This is the people that longs to see your face.”
In the Second Reading, John is describing those, still here on earth, who have made the commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Even though they do not know for certain what lies ahead, they have “this hope based on Him.”
The Gospel Reading from Matthew (5:1 – 12a) is the familiar Beatitudes which represent the rewards for those who follow the perfect teachings of Christ. This is the formula for the perfect Christian life and he who follows it will surely become a saint whether the Vatican, or anyone, or no one knows it. Something to think about during your Prayer Time this week!
Happy All Saints Day, Everyone!
MFB