Our Examples of Holiness

How blessed we are this day to stand here in the presence of the Lord as “the children of God.  Yet so we are” (1 Jn 3:1).  On this Solemnity of All Saints we give praise and thanks to the God of our salvation, He who calls us to share his very life.  In a special way today, we honor those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith and the life of grace, the Saints of God in light.

The visionary John tells us of his “vision of a great multitude, which no one could count” (Rev 7:9), those saints of God who stand as our witnesses to the life of holiness.  The truth is that all of us are called to saintliness, to holiness.  St. John’s letter reminds us of the call we have to holiness, we who hope God’s promise of salvation.  “Everyone who has this hope based on [God] makes himself pure, as He is pure” (1 Jn 3:3).  So this is our goal as Christians, to be holy as God in heaven is holy (cf. Mt 5:48).  It is a difficult goal to be sure, but Jesus gives us examples of what it is to be holy and blessed in his Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1-12a).

Blessed are the meek, the peacemakers, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.  These describe the life of holiness, but it may be difficult to achieve them without help.  Never fear my brothers and sisters, because today we celebrate the life of the saints, our great examples of the blessed life.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”  Saint Francis of Assisi, under whose patronage our archdiocese was formed, showed us this beautiful witness.  He gave up his great wealth to seek the simple life.  We can learn from him by simplifying our life, rejecting distractions and trusting that “the Kingdom of heaven” will be ours in Christ Jesus.

“Blessed are they who mourn.”  No saint embodies the blessing of mourning more than Our Lady, la Dolorosa.  Saint Mary, our mother, trusted God even as she held the lifeless body of her beloved son in her arms.  Through her faith she hoped in the resurrection and was not crushed by despair.  In our suffering may we turn to God and “be comforted.”

“Blessed are the meek.”  Here we can turn to Mary’s husband, Saint Joseph, who as a righteous man could have denounced Mary publically when he heard that she was pregnant before their marriage. He however acted in patience, kindness, and meekness.  God then revealed the great grace he was to experience as Mary’s husband and foster father to Jesus.  In this difficult world, we can grow in holiness by being meek and patient with those around us, allowing God to work in all situations, and thus “inherit the land” that God has prepared for us in our lives.

“Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness.”  Our great patron, Saint Anthony of Padua worked tirelessly to speak out against errors and injustices in his day.  He did so with love and passion, and teaches us to stand for what is right, so we can “be satisfied” in the light of truth and justice.

“Blessed are the merciful.”  All of us are sinners, but Saint Faustina taught us through her conversations with our Lord that our God is a God of mercy.  If we are to be holy as God is holy, may we extend mercy to our brothers and sisters.  In this way, we “will be shown mercy” by the God who forgives us “as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

“Blessed are the clean of heart.”  Saint Agnes, maintained her purity even when her life was in danger, thus showing us that if we reject all of those things that cloud the soul we will be able to “see God.”

“Blessed are the peacemakers.”  Our human family was created good by our God, but we know that we all fall.  Saint Catherine of Siena knew this when she helped the Church put aside its petty divisions and brought unity, even to the papacy.  May we never forget that we are called to bring peace to all those “called children of God.”

“Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.”  This last lesson is so important in these days when being Christian, standing for holiness, is under attack.  St. Peter and the Apostles gave their very lives in witnessing to the Gospel, trusting that “theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.”  My friends, you too must remember that “blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you, and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of” Jesus our Lord.  We cannot expect to walk in the very life of God without joining our Lord on the Cross.  But this persecution is not the end.  “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven!”

We can do this my sisters and brothers!  We can live the life of holiness.  Our God created us to do it.  It is your birthright as sons and daughters of the Father.  Today we remember with gratitude that “salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb” (Rev 7:10).  Christ, the great Lamb of God has won us a share in salvation, in the life of the Saints, in the life of holiness.  May all the saints and angels who stand before our God in Heaven, pray for us as we walk this blessed path.  One day, through God’s grace and their intercession, may we stand before the heavenly throne and cry out with one voice:  “Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” (Rev 7:12).

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