ALL SAINTS: Rev 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 Jn 3:1-3; Mt 5:1-12a

The feast of All Saints is a holy day on which we celebrate the lives of ordinary men and women of every time and place who lived in an extraordinary way in faithfulness to the message of the gospel. The origin of this feast lies in the common commemorations of martyrs who died in groups or whose names were unknown, which were held on various days in different parts of the Church. However, over time, these celebrations came to include not only the martyrs but all saints. This celebration of the feast of all saints reminds us of the fact that they are present, interceding on our behalf as we are surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and now are a great role model for us as we strive to live out our faith.

The gospel, which is read every year on the occasion of this feast, seeks to underline the paradox of being a saint. One could paraphrase the Beatitudes in this way, “Blessed or Happy are those who are unfortunate.” One who mourns, for example, would never imagine himself or herself as being happy. But our Lord declares this to him or her, “Happy are those who are not happy.”
The word happy or blessed has two temporal dimensions: it embraces both the present and the future, and each in a different way. The present aspect consists of the fact that those who seem to be in an unfortunate situation are told that they enjoy a special closeness to God and His Kingdom. God has favourites. He favours those mentioned in the Beatitudes. It is precisely in the sphere of suffering that God, with His Kingdom, is particularly present to them. When someone suffers, God’s heart is moved to act and draws near to the person to offer deliverance.

But the present dimension of each of the Beatitudes also includes a future: God’s ultimate victory that is still hidden will one day be manifest. Hence, what each beatitude is saying is this: “Do not be afraid in your distress; God is close to you here and now, and He will be your great comfort and consolation in the time to come.” Because of this future dimension, the Beatitudes provide us with the core of Christian hope. In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives”

In order to grasp the true profundity of the Beatitudes, and thereby the core of Christian hope, it is important to remember that they are essentially Christological. The real subject, of the beatitudes and in fact the entire Sermon on the Mount, is Jesus. It is only on this basis that we can discover the entire meaning of Christian faith life. Pope Benedict puts it this way, “The Beatitudes are the transposition of the Cross and Resurrection into discipleship".

The best commentary of the sermon and the beatitudes is the life of Christ, and by extension the lives of the Saints. Christ stands in the middle of the text and unites it with the lives of the saints who sought to imitate Him, in life and in death. The saints saw themselves in the text of the Beatitudes because they saw Christ in the middle of it. Christ is the one who is poor in spirit. He is the one who mourns, who is meek, who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, who is merciful, who is pure in heart, who is a peacemaker and who is persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Each of the Beatitudes is flesh and blood in Him. Can there ever be a better example?
Our Lord provides us with the Beatitudes as a roadmap and the Church provides us with the saints as guides.

Pope Francis reminds us, “The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So, if anyone asks: “What must one do to be a good Christian?”, the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount. Here is how a little boy and an elderly woman experienced the beatitudes and saw God.

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it would be a long journey. So, one day, he got up early, packed his bag with some biscuits, chocolates and soft drinks and set out on his journey without telling anyone. He had walked a short distance and reached a garden and found an old woman sitting quietly and feeding pigeons. The boy went and sat next to her and kept watching her actions.  Then he felt hungry and took out a biscuit and was about to eat. But he looked at the old woman and shared some with her. She willingly accepted it and gave him a bright smile. He too, smiled.  He shared his chocolates and drink, and each time, she gave him a smile better than the previous one.  They shared no word with each other. Evening approached, and the boy was tired and wanted to return home.  He had but taken a few steps, he turned back and gave a hug to the old woman, who hugged in return, giving the biggest smile ever. The boy reached home, and the mother asked him why he looked so happy. The boy said: “Mom, I had lunch with God today.”  Before she could say anything, he added, “Look, Mom, she had the most beautiful smile I have ever seen.”  The old woman, too, reached home, and her son asked her why she looked so happy. She responded by saying, “Look, son, I had lunch with God today, and I did not know he was so young.”

The church teaches us that God’s call for holiness is universal. Everyone is called to live in God’s love and make His love real in the lives of those around them. Let this celebration of all Saints give us the inspiration and strength to walk earnestly in the path of holiness.