Reading 1
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.
After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb."
All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:
"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."
Reading 2
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.
Gospel
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."
Reflection
On the Solemnity of All Saints, the Church honors the countless Saints in Heaven — including those who do not have feast days on the liturgical calendar or who are not formally canonized at all. It is a feast to honor all the faithful who have gone before us and now see God, to ask for their prayers, and to strive for holiness ourselves.
Our readings give us powerful definitions of sainthood. In the first reading, John sees a vision of a multitude “from every nation, race, people, and tongue,” worshiping the Lord. An elder explains, “these are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” This passage shows us that Heaven is open to all people if they “survive” the tumult of earthly life by receiving the purifying grace of the Crucified Christ. No holiness can be conjured by solitary effort — rather, a Saint is one who becomes like Jesus by uniting his or her life with His saving sacrifice. A privileged place to do so is Holy Mass, when we share in the “Supper of the Lamb” and receive the true presence of Christ crucified and risen in the Holy Eucharist.
In the second reading, John remarks that we do not know what we shall become, but “we do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Our Church refers to the joy of seeing the face of God as the “Beatific Vision.” To finally see and know God as He is in Heaven is the greatest joy of which we are capable, and it is the essence of sainthood. In other words, a Saint is someone who sees God. In so doing, this person becomes like God. He or she is not, of course, another deity to be worshiped, but rather a human fully glorified, sharing in the divinity of Christ, experiencing the ecstasy of the eternal exchange of love that is our Trinitarian God.
John continues: “Everyone who has this hope based on Him makes himself pure, as He is pure.” We who hope to enjoy the Beatific Vision seek now to become as saintlike — as Christlike — as possible, not by our own merits alone, but by uniting our lives with Jesus’, imitating Him in all that we do, and cooperating with God’s grace to become purified as Christ is pure. Purity here does not merely mean cleanliness or virginity, but rather, having our hearts, minds, and passions in proper order, always choosing love over mere use, and being cleansed of the stain of sin.
Today’s Gospel shows us that sainthood, striving for the purity of Christ, also means happiness. When Jesus gives the recipe for blessedness, He gives instructions for true happiness, that is, a life that is aligned with our God-given design and not tainted by selfishness, cruelty, or despair. Jesus Himself is the model — He is perfectly poor, meek, merciful, peaceful, pure-hearted, and righteous, and His is the Kingdom of Heaven. To be like Christ is our surest path to happiness in both this life and the next.
We glorify God by honoring those He has glorified. On this great Solemnity, join me in thanking Our Lord for giving us countless examples and intercessors in the Saints. Let us ask all the multitudes of Saints for their prayers that we might strive for purity and beatitude — that is, to be like Christ — now and always.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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