Celebration of all the Saints

 Reflection on Today's Readings, All Saints Day, Monday Nov. 1st, 2021
Texts: Apoc. 7:2-4,9-14; Ps. 23:1-6; 1 John 3:1-3; Mtt. 5:1-12
We celebrate, today, all the saints, both officially recognised saints and unofficially recognised saints. The celebration of all saints reminds us of life of holiness. When we celebrate individual saints, we focus on their areas of excellence, their outstanding virtues. Some of them excel in prayer and sanctify life with prayer; some of them excel in works charity; some of them excel in making us to grow in the knowledge of God; some of them excel in preaching the gospel in words and deeds; some of them were virgin and teach us life of purity; some of them were married and teach us how to be good parents; some of them were martyred and teach us to be faithful to the point of death. As we celebrate them together, today, we call to mind that quality, which is common to all of them: holiness. We are called to emulate them in their life of holiness. They are witnesses to the life of holiness, assuring us that we can attain to holiness.
All the saints form the triumphant Church. It is worthy to know that they are our intercessors; they pray for us and obtain graces for us by their merits. Their life also serves as source of inspiration to us. They do not need our prayer, we are the ones that need their prayer and help. We honour them and celebrate their victories in virtues and battles of life while they intercede for us before God.
The saints, we celebrate today, are human beings like us; they faced the challenges of life. They experienced hunger and thirst, they battled with the passions of flesh, they were disappointed, they faced danger, people spoke ill of them. People hated them and were envy of them. In today's first reading, it is said,  "These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb." They experienced moment of joy and peace. In their trouble and joy, they stayed with God, and were victorious.
Today we celebrate in their life the victory of God, what God has achieved through them. They fought the battle of life and won by the grace of God. The first reading says,  "They shouted aloud, ‘Victory to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’" Their victory was the victory of God because God fought their battles for them. To emphasize this, it is said, "And all the angels who were standing in a circle round the throne, surrounding the elders and the four animals, prostrated themselves before the throne, and touched the ground with their foreheads, worshipping God with these words, ‘Amen. Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen.’" God should be praised and glorified for the victory of the saints in the battle of life; for it is by His wisdom, power and strength that they attained the victory.
We are also made to know that they are from different race. It is said, "After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands." This assures us that our people are among them.
Today's gospel reading also tells us who the saints are. They are the poor in the spirit, the gentle, the mourners, those who seek righteousness, the merciful, the pure of heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted. Today's second reading reminds us that our destiny is to be like God and see him face to face. We continue to live as His children and to conform ourselves to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, till that time we shall finally be like Him and see Him face to face.

Almighty ever-living God,
by whose gift we venerate in one celebration
the merits of all the Saints,
bestow on us, we pray,
through the prayers of so many intercessors,
an abundance of the reconciliation with you
for which we earnestly long. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke