All Saints' Day (B)

Rev 7:2-4; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12

On the Solemnity of All Saints we honor all those who have died and are now happily united with God in heaven. They are those who have spent their life on earth doing God's will and are now enjoying the rewards of a well-spent life. They are also the ones who have been purified from their sins through the grace of God. Tomorrow we are going to pray for our faithful departed who are still in need of purification. They are in a place called “purgatory”, a place of purgation where souls are made worthy for the kingdom. We believe that our prayers are of great value for our departed loved ones who died in the state of sin.

All Saints' Day reminds us of the Christian vocation to holiness. In a prayerful recollection, I asked the participants who would be the first person to come to their minds when they hear the word “holy”. Someone said “Pope John Paul II”; another gave the name of “Mother Teresa of Calcutta”; and still another said “Cory Aquino”. Quite clearly, most people would think that holiness is a privilege of a few and that ordinary people such as our friends, neighbors and co-workers could not become holy.

And yet, the Church teaches that all the baptized are called to a life of holiness (Lumen Gentium, 39). Sainthood is not only for a chosen few but for all of us who believe in Christ. The holy life is our response to Christ' invitation: “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy” and “Come, follow me”. The saints are people who give their best to follow the teachings and life of Jesus Christ, particularly his life of loving service. There is a saying that goes,“Saints are sinners who keep trying to do good”. Indeed, saints, like all people, are sinners; but they never stop trying to follow the will of God in their lives.

The great Pope John Paul II had helped us correct our understanding on the vocation of holiness. In almost 27 years of his pontificate, he declared 1,338 souls as blessed and 482 as saints. These included people from different walks of life, a clear manifestation that sainthood is attainable by anyone who greatly desires to follow a life of righteousness. The same pope had pointed out that many people of modern times would find life empty in the end because their heroes and heroines are morally deficient. The true heroes and heroines are the saints because they are witnesses of strong faith and virtue, something that people from the movie industry, sports, science and music cannot always give. Following the examples of saints would lead us to a joyful and meaningful life.

On All Saints Day, we read the gospel of the Beatitudes, which is the heart of Jesus' sermon on the mount. This gospel passage is most fitting for the feast because this outlines the kind of holiness that Jesus would like us to follow. The Beatitudes are not empty words because they are the essence of Jesus' life and ministry. He himself is the poor in spirit, the sorrowful, the humble, the merciful, the righteous and the peacemaker.

Are we getting closer to the kingdom of God? Are we the blessed ones in the mind of Jesus? As we honor the saints today, it is good to ask ourselves: “Are we also poor in spirit?” or “Do we also put our trust solely in God?” “Are we also humble and merciful?” “Are we also pure in spirit?” “Are we also doing something for peace?” “Are we also dispose to sacrifice our needs for the good of others?”

Human and sinful that we are, let us not forget that in the sacrament of baptism we have already received the sanctifying grace. God himself had given us the interior capacity to live a holy life. Our challenge is to make that crucial decision to start emulating the exemplary life of the saints for they are our traveling companions on the way to God.

Roger Federer became the number one tennis player of the world not because he idolized an unseeded player. Rather, in training, he inspired himself by looking up to great players like Rod Laver, Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras. Likewise, in our life of holiness, we must inspire ourselves by looking up to the saints for they are the seeded players in the kingdom of God.