Homilies

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS: THE CALL TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE

TODAY'S CELEBRATION of the Solemnity of All Saints is a day of remembering the unsung heroes of the Christian antiquity who now enjoy the eternal bliss in heaven. Some of them were included in the roster of official saints, while some were not. Many of the latter had lived in obscurity or little had been known about their lives. Certainly, all these saints were very ordinary, like us. There were temptations that came their way, but perhaps, the difference is that, they never easily cave in to temptations. They were also frail and weak, but they never distanced themselves from God. These are the men and women whom we honor today. Let us try to reflect on the lives of these people.

First, the saints remind us of our call to live a holy life. Some people think that holiness is something which is difficult to achieve. It is beyond our reach. It is only meant for people who can spend more time in prayer, and people who are “sinless.” Some think it is only meant for clerics or nuns. And even among the clerics, some think that holiness is only meant for those who have the roles of spiritual direction. But we have to take note that saints are very ordinary, like ourselves. If we read some of the biography of the saints, they share also our weakness, limitations, and sinfulness. They are also a struggling people. But in their struggles, they never stop taking the road to conversion. It is in taking the road to repentance and conversion that they become holy. Constant conversion makes us indeed holy.

Second, holiness is a product of living out the values of the kingdom. These values are mentioned or reflected in today’s gospel. The road to holiness is living the Christian or kingdom values. God pronounced blessed those are poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, peacemakers, and those who are persecuted. If we try to reflect on these values, they all run counter to the values of the world. Like for instance, more people today are not or no longer “poor in spirit” because they don’t feel that they are in need of God.  And this is not holiness. Holiness is something counter-cultural.

Third, holiness can be rewarding. Among the good things we find in the present world is this: it teaches people to strive because there is a reward afterwards. For a working person, for instance, a reward can be in a form of a job promotion. As a result, despite the pains, working people hold out, and they endure. We, Christians, must cling to the words of Jesus in the gospel. Jesus did not only pronounce the “saints” as blessed. There is also a concomitant promise to the pronouncement. Jesus promises to them the kingdom of heaven, comfort, heavenly inheritance, satisfaction, mercy, vision of God, and adoption, making them children of God.

In the final analysis, salvation is God’s gift for us. He promises us this. But God expects us to have also a share in attaining it. Our share is a life of holiness. Indeed from time to time, we do forget this vocation. But we are still fortunate because we have saints in the Church whose lives and commitment to God remind us that we also live a holy and virtuous life.

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