THE
SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS
(Revelation
7: 2-4.9-14; I John 3: 1-3; Matthew 5: 1-12)
We can
understand the Solemnity of All Saints in different ways. Some will see it as a catch-all. There have been approximately ten thousand people
recognized by the Church as saints. Only
a couple hundred of these are celebrated during the liturgical year. All Saints Day provides an opportunity to
remember the rest of them in a general way.
Others
understand today’s feast as a way to think of the saintly persons that they
have known who will never have a cause for sainthood. They think of their grandparents who prayed
everyday, thought well of everyone, and never failed to help another person in
need. It seems more appropriate to
remember this kind of person on All Saints Day than on All Souls Day.
Finally, we
can think of All Saints Day to celebrate the great diversity of saints of the
Church. There are saints from every
continent, race, socio-economic status, and most every nation. The Church has completed the mandate of
Christ at the end of Matthew’s gospel to “make disciples of all nations.” Today we celebrate those Asians and Africans,
Irish and Ethiopians, doctors and streetsweepers who have given testimony to
the same Christ by their exemplary virtue.
