Homily for Solemnity of All Saints

Homily for the Solemnity
of All Saints

Nov. 1, 2019

Rev 7: 2-4, 9-12
1 John 3: 1-3
Matt 5: 1-12
Christian Brothers, Iona College, New Rochelle, N.Y.

Those saved from God’s wrath have been sealed, sealed with Christ’s saving blood, like the blood that marked the doors of the Hebrews in Egypt.  They’re a very large number from Israel, as we heard in the reading from Revelation (7:4), plus “a great multitude which no one could count” from the rest of the world (7:9)—all those sealed who persevered faithfully in following the Lamb (7:9-12).

Our relationship with the Lamb, with Christ, makes us children of God (1 John 3:1-2), but God has in mind something more, which we can’t even imagine:  “what we shall be has not yet been revealed” (3:2), but we shall somehow become more like God, like Christ.  We know that God created us in his own image (Gen 1:27), but by our sins we’ve marred that image.  By the grace of Christ, that image, the image of Christ himself—will be full restored.

We start to reflect that image of Christ inasmuch as we speak and act like him.  He gives us clear instructions for our speech and actions and even our thinking in the Beatitudes.  Pope Francis has told us that the Beatitudes are like the 10 Commandments for us.  They’re not optional.

They are in one sense more difficult than the Commandments.  They’re somewhat vague.  We all know what idolatry, murder, and adultery are.  Poverty of spirit, meekness, and peacemaking are harder to define.  But they’re certainly attitudes and behaviors to pray for and strive for.  The Beatitudes are the path to beatitude, to bliss, to heavenly joy—to our becoming images of Christ, saints.