SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS
1 NOVEMBER 2026
In his
vision in the Book of Revelation, Saint John describes the countless numbers of
men and women who surround the throne of God.
They are marked with the seal.
These are the saints who have taken seriously the Beatitudes of Saint
Matthew’s Gospel. In their pilgrimage to
the New and Eternal Jerusalem, they had looked forward toward God with an
attitude of poverty of spirit; they had mourned in grief. They were meek and humble toward others and
made righteousness their ultimate desire.
They had shown mercy to those who did not deserve it and had clean hearts
toward God. They did their best to live
in peace and made peace where there was hostility. Many were persecuted and killed because of
their faith. Except for Mary, the Mother
of God, they had all been sinners and failed at times to be people of the
beatitudes.
We know the
names of those who have been canonized by the Church. But we do not know the names of most of them,
who lived ordinary lives not noticed by people in charge of canonizations. We have known some of these people, because
they had been members of our families, or neighbors, or friends. On this Solemnity of All Saints, we honor
them and ask their intercession. Like
them, we too have been sealed in our relationship with Jesus Christ through
Baptism and Confirmation. According to
the First Letter of Saint John, we who are sealed are God’s children now. What we shall be has not been revealed. But this Solemnity reminds us to remain
children of God and become saints to see the Lord as he is. For that reason, we need their example to
learn how to live the Beatitudes. And we
need their intercession, especially when we are tempted to abandon our status
as children of God and attach ourselves to those things that will not last when
the Lord calls us home.
All of us
have fond memories of those ordinary people whose holiness has inspired
us. Think of someone whose influence has
helped you to navigate the difficulties of life. Today, I think of my grandparents. My mother’s parents lived a few blocks from
us in the small town of Decatur, where we grew up. Because both of our parents worked, my
brother and sister and I stopped at our grandparents’ house on the way home
from school. Often, I stayed for dinner,
and they taught me how to pray the rosary with them after dinner. My grandpa took me to see all the exciting
things in Decatur, especially in the fall when the farmers brought their
harvest of soybeans to the grain silos of Central Soya. He taught me how to fish at their lake
cottage in Rome City and taught me how to play bingo in the church hall. But as I grew up, I became aware that my
Grandma was prejudiced. She had spent
her entire life in Decatur, where everyone looked like her. To be honest, everyone was related to each
other in Decatur. She was not a mean
person. But she was completely ignorant
of the worth of anyone who did not look like her. When we drove through Fort Wayne on the way
to the lake, she would always make us lock the doors of the car. Her prejudice was motivated by ignorance and
fear.
By the time
I was old enough to understand her prejudice, she had slipped into dementia. I celebrated her funeral and prayed for
her. There were too many Mass intentions
for me to say. So, I sent them to my
good friend, Father Larry Kanyike, in Uganda.
It seemed right that the people whom she feared the most would be
interceding for her to join the Communion of Saints, where most of them don’t
look like her either. During this month
of November, we pray for our deceased loved ones, commending them to the Lord’s
mercy. We ask the intercession of those
who surround the throne of God, hoping that those who are prejudiced can see
the truth and be healed. More
significantly, we work to imitate the examples of those who have sacrificed and
worked to build a more just and loving society.
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