Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time (November 1, 2017): Solemnity of All Saints

YOU are a saint. A saint is anyone who’s either in heaven or on their way to heaven. In the Apostle’s Creed we say, “I believe in the communion of saints…” That includes you! It’s the whole community of Christ-followers.

As followers of Christ, we have been redeemed from the power of sin. We have been reborn as “saints” and are no longer “sinners.” Yes, we do sin every day; we have not yet perfected our sainthood. So we grow in holiness, hopefully every day, by learning to become more fully who God created us to be. This is life as an earthly saint.

Look at today’s first reading. We could see this as a huge prayer meeting in heaven, but it’s not just about the after-life. You, right now, are part of that “great multitude” when you worship God enthusiastically. Every time we praise God, we’re joining ourselves to the whole communion of saints, including our loved ones who passed into the after-life in the Lord’s arms.

We’re also united to them after our sins are absolved in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, for then we, too, have “washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Until the next time we sin, we’re on the Lord’s mountain, standing in a holy place, because our hands are sinless, our hearts are clean, and we are not desiring what is vain (as the responsorial Psalm says).

The same unity occurs when we receive the Eucharist after making a heartfelt journey through the Penitential Prayers and other healing that’s provided at Mass.

As the second reading points out, we are saints because we are God’s children. The saints in heaven have the advantage of being free from evil, while we live in a sin-filled world. But notice how we become pure: The hope (i.e., belief in God’s promise) that eventually we’ll behave like Christ all the time should energize us to purge unholiness from our lives today. This hope is based on knowing that Christ redeems us from sin, the Father forgives us, and after death, whatever clean-up still remains to be done, it will be accomplished thanks to purgatory.

The Gospel reading reminds us that we are saints because we are blessed. Isn’t everything that God blesses holy? Therefore, any person whom God blesses is made holy by love: the poor in spirit, those who mourn and receive the Holy Spirit’s comfort, the meek who submit to God’s will, and so on down the list of beatitudes. Meditate on each blessing and notice your sainthood and the challenge to become more saintly by improving how you live the truth of each beatitude.

The Church canonizes saints so we can have role models and so we know they’re available for prayer support to assist us on our journey to heaven. May we learn from their example — not to compare our lives to theirs, for we all have different circumstances in which to grow in holiness, but to be blessed by their spiritual guidance.

For further reflection on the Beatitudes, read the Good News WordByte 
“Living the Beatitudes” at wordbytes.gnm.org/spiritualgrowth-living-the-beatitudes/. 
And for a printable copy or for distributing it to others, please go to Catholic Digital Resources: http://catholicdr.com/faithbuilders/beatitudes.htm

Questions for Personal Reflection:
How have you grown in holiness over the years? Choose one way to grow in holiness this week.

Questions for Community Faith Sharing:
Who is your favorite Saint in heaven? Why? Name someone you know who is a good model of saintliness. What is holy about that person?

Lord: Teach me to understand the briefness of my time in this life and to offer all may pains for the sake of Your name, walking without hesitation to meet You. Amen.