“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:7-9)
Reflections on the readings for the Solemnity of All Saints (November 1, 2022): RV 7:2-4,9-14; PS 24:1-2,3-4,5-6; 1JN 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.
God calls all people to welcome His grace and follow His will. He wants us to share His merciful blessings and generous love with all we meet.
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Christians have honored martyrs of our faith from the early centuries of the Church. In 609 A.D., the Byzantine emperor gave Pope Boniface IV a temple in Rome known as the Pantheon where gods had previously been worshipped. It was converted into a church consecrated to St. Mary and the Martyrs. Twenty-eight cartloads of bones and other relics of these holy people were taken from the catacombs and reinterred there. Later, Pope Gregory III had a chapel in what is now St. Peter’s Basilica dedicated to all saints. This included not only martyrs, but all who professed and lived out their faith and love for Christ. Today, the Catholic Church considers all those who lived in union with God through His grace and so received His gift of eternal life to be saints. This means all His children, whether or not they were canonized. St. John, writing in the Book of Revelation, says about those in heaven: “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:9-10).
God calls all people to welcome His grace and follow His will. He wants us to share His merciful blessings and generous love with all we meet. In other words, Almighty God wants every one of us to be saints, in our own unique way, by entrusting ourselves to His care and guidance. Pope Francis has said that, “We can compare the saints to the church windows which allow light to enter in different shades of color. The saints are our brothers and sisters who have welcomed the light of God in their heart and have passed it on to the world, each according to his or her own hue. …This is life’s purpose: to enable God’s light to pass through; it is the purpose of our life too.” Let us choose to live in the light of Christ now and always.
Suggested missionary action: This is a good day to entrust ourselves to the care of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of All Saints, asking her to guide us on our way through life in loving service to her Son, our Lord and Savior.