The Solemnity of All Saints reminds us of our call to holiness. We are all called to be saints. The only tragedy in life is not to be saints. Saints are friends of God. They cooperate with God’s grace. They are not gods. They are our models, examples and witnesses teaching us that it is possible to follow Christ because nothing is impossible to God. They are the countless men and women who live now in the fullness of God’s glory. They bring hope where there is despair, light where there is darkness, pardon where there is injury and love where there is hatred. They respond to the call of Jesus to continue His work in the world. They are empowered to have the same mind and heart of Jesus. All Saints’ Day is a celebration of hope and of truth. Hope because our Christian hope is not empty hope but confident hope because our God is a faithful God. Jesus is the Head and we are His body and where the Head goes, the body follows. Truth because God’s justice will one day make all things right. God alone has the ultimate and last word. His love is everlasting and will always prevail. His love is the only true power and we are called to rely on Him alone because that is the only way to be strong. Without Him there is no victory. He alone is our peace and joy. The Saints also include all non Christians who lived a life in accordance with the convictions of their conscience. They have responded generously to the love of God showered on them. They are not self made people. They open up themselves to the grace of the Holy Spirit and they participate in God’s good governance in the world. In the Book of Revelation (7: 2-14), John saw the vision of heaven. He saw multitudes of people worshipping the Lamb. They are counted as 144,000 people. They represent all who have died and remained faithful to Christ. They represent every nation, from all tribes, peoples and languages because access to Christ is open to all. They are dressed in white robes with palms in their hands. The palms represent the crown of glory participating in the victory of the Lamb. Their robes represent goodness and integrity and are washed by the blood of the Lamb because by His blood we are saved and by His wounds we are healed. We are therefore called to be saints because we are the physical presence of Christ in our tormented world. We are called to manifest God’s boundless and extravagant love into the world by building His Kingdom here and now.
UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS
