Nov. 1, 2018 All Saints
Nov. 1, 2018 All Saints
It is estimated that tonight (Halloween), 41 million children in our country will be on the streets trick-or-treating. Americans typically purchase nearly 600 million pounds of candy a year for Halloween. That works out to be around 15 lb. of candy per child who is trick-or-treating. Here is an interesting quote I found for the All Hallows’ Eve. “On the eve of All Saints Day, Jack-O-Lanterns light the way. God's children need no longer fear the ghosts and goblin gathered here. For evil ghouls with icy breath must bow to Him who conquered death.”
We gather in this church to celebrate our brothers and sisters who welcomed the love of God into their hearts and who are blessed or happy living in His love. As Pope Francis explained: “happiness is not having something or becoming someone, but true happiness is being with the Lord and living for love.” The saints of the Church are those who were poor by worldly standards, yet rich in holiness, mercy, and peace. The ingredients to their saintly life were the Beatitudes, first taught by Our Lord on a mount near the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Saints are humble persons who make room for God, who know how to weep for others and for their own errors, who fight for justice, who are merciful toward all, who guard the purity of heart, who always work for peace, remain in joy, and respond to evil with good.
Jesus shows us the way to life, the way that he himself has taken, from birth in a stable in Bethlehem to his death on the Cross on Calvary. In proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus asks us to follow him and journey with him along the path of the love of His Father. It is not an easy journey, yet Our Lord promised his grace and presence. The secret of the saints is that they lived their life, single-hearted, in Christ’s love and promise. They weren’t perfect--like we aren’t perfect--but they allowed God to touch their lives.
If we take one of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure or single-hearted, for they shall see God,” we can begin to understand why they were joyful living in God’s love. Our heart is the seat of our thoughts, desires, and motives. We have many loves, priorities, and longings, and they pull us away from the true joy of being with God. What if we had single-hearted devotion to God? Would we make a courageous choice for God over all of our conflicting wants and desires?
Jesus invites us to take seriously the life of Beatitudes and to decide which path we will choose. He asks us every day whether we want to follow him or to choose another path. When Jesus asked Peter that question, he replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Can we, too, make a single-hearted effort to choose the path of Jesus through our actions, prayers, and service?
We gather in this church to celebrate our brothers and sisters who welcomed the love of God into their hearts and who are blessed or happy living in His love. As Pope Francis explained: “happiness is not having something or becoming someone, but true happiness is being with the Lord and living for love.” The saints of the Church are those who were poor by worldly standards, yet rich in holiness, mercy, and peace. The ingredients to their saintly life were the Beatitudes, first taught by Our Lord on a mount near the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Saints are humble persons who make room for God, who know how to weep for others and for their own errors, who fight for justice, who are merciful toward all, who guard the purity of heart, who always work for peace, remain in joy, and respond to evil with good.
Jesus shows us the way to life, the way that he himself has taken, from birth in a stable in Bethlehem to his death on the Cross on Calvary. In proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus asks us to follow him and journey with him along the path of the love of His Father. It is not an easy journey, yet Our Lord promised his grace and presence. The secret of the saints is that they lived their life, single-hearted, in Christ’s love and promise. They weren’t perfect--like we aren’t perfect--but they allowed God to touch their lives.
If we take one of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure or single-hearted, for they shall see God,” we can begin to understand why they were joyful living in God’s love. Our heart is the seat of our thoughts, desires, and motives. We have many loves, priorities, and longings, and they pull us away from the true joy of being with God. What if we had single-hearted devotion to God? Would we make a courageous choice for God over all of our conflicting wants and desires?
Jesus invites us to take seriously the life of Beatitudes and to decide which path we will choose. He asks us every day whether we want to follow him or to choose another path. When Jesus asked Peter that question, he replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Can we, too, make a single-hearted effort to choose the path of Jesus through our actions, prayers, and service?
