God calls each of His children – each of us – to be a saint
Reflections on the readings for the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1, 2019): RV 7:2-4, 9-14; PS 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; 1 JN 3:1-3; MT 5:1-12
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days
On this Solemnity of All Saints, we rejoice in the lives of God’s beloved children who have gone on before us to heaven.
These include both the well-known saints such as the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, as well as those who are known only to God. All our loved ones who are enjoying the beatific vision are counted among these saints. Almighty God has always intended that each and every person He created to live on earth would also spend eternity with Him. He calls on us to lead lives that show the light of His grace and offer His mercy to all we meet. Through the way we go about our day-to-day living, we draw closer to our Lord and embrace the plans He has for us – or we don’t. It is up to us. Today’s Psalm reminds us of the kind of people God calls us to be. “Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Or who can stand in His holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain” (Psalm 24:3-4).
God is the source of goodness and love and He asks us to be good people, loving people. This is the life of every saint. And if we choose it, it can be our life, too, both now and forever. As the great 16th century scholar Erasmus, said, “You venerate the saints…but you disregard their greatest legacy, the example of a blameless life.… No devotion is more acceptable and proper to the saints than striving to imitate their virtues.”
Suggested missionary action: We can commit ourselves to reading more about the lives of the saints and asking them to help us imitate their fidelity to God and care of His people.
