Breaking Open the Word

By James Cavanagh

Nov. 1: Solemnity of All Saints

Scripture readings:
 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14
• Psalm 24:1-6
• 1 John 3:1-3
• Matthew 5:1-12

 

Overview: All Saints is distinguished from All Souls Day (Nov. 2) when we commemorate all the faithful departed. The Church has set aside one day of the year in which we are invited to contemplate the heroic virtue and faith of those who died in the name of Christ—the martyrs, as well as those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of Christ without shedding their blood. The first reading focuses on those who have been purified by what they suffered, having “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The book of Revelation was written, in part, to encourage the faithful who were experiencing persecution. Many were martyred and these early martyrs quickly became heroes to the rest of the Church. Since many of these early martyrs died anonymously, the Church set aside a special day to honor their heroic sacrifice in a special way. When the persecutions ended, the Church continued to honor those who practiced heroic virtue and fidelity in other ways. These powerful witnesses are models for the rest of us, showing us that it’s possible for us to become saints too. The second reading reminds us that sanctity is not a moral achievement that we acquire by our efforts, but a singular grace of God who makes us holy. We are God’s children because “of the love that the Father has bestowed upon us” which we receive through baptism. In this week’s Gospel, we hear the Beatitudes, which “express the vocation of the faithful, and shed light on the actions and attitudes characteristics of the Christian life” (“Catechism of the Catholic Church,” No. 1717). These characteristics were embodied in the saints in an exemplary way.

Key verse: “These 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” (Rv 7:14).

“Catechism of the Catholic Church”: “By canonizing some of the faithful, that is, by solemnly proclaiming that they practiced heroic virtue and lived in fidelity to God’s grace, the Church recognizes the power of the Spirit of holiness within her and sustains the hope of believers by proposing the saints to them as models and intercessors” (No. 828).

Pope Benedict XVI: “Looking at the shining example of the saints to reawaken within us the great longing to be like them; happy to live near God, in his light, in the great family of God’s friends. Being a saint means living close to God, to live in his family. And this is the vocation of us all” (Homily, Nov. 1, 2006).