Word to the Wise
Sunday, November 1, 2009 - Feast of All Saints
[Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14; 1 John 3:1-13; Matthew 5:1-12a]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..... (Revelation) 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. (First Letter of John)
There is an old joke about a pastor who visits a school classroom on All Saints' Day and asks how many of the children would like to be a saint. They all raise their hands except one little boy. The pastor looks at him and says, "Why don't you want to be a saint?" The little boy replied, "Because they're all dead!" The little boy simply puts his finger on one of the misconceptions we have about saints - they're dead and they're canonized! One does not have to be either of those to be a saint! The letter of John has it very simply: We are God's children now! If one reads the gospel passage from the Gospel of Matthew about the beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount, the words are "Blessed ARE the meek....etc." There is no WILL BE. White robes and palm branches are symbolic but most of us carry palm branches only on Palm Sunday and rarely wear a white robe unless it's made of terry cloth! All the baptized belong to the Communion of Saints as long as they strive conscientiously to live out the teachings of Jesus. Saints are people who know sin well because they represent to us people who have struggled with life and persevered in their efforts. Like all of us, those efforts were not always successful in individual situations, but the long term results made for a close relationship to God - which is what holiness means! Some of these heroes and heroines become identified with particular things. I've just finished preaching a "novena" in honor of St.Jude Thaddeus, one of the twelve apostles, who is traditionally known to be the patron saint of hopeless cases! The folks who came to that nine day series of devotional services have serious concerns and petitions. They want St. Jude to be their companion and advocate. The Communion of Saints is a vast family of holiness from which we all benefit. We can stand side by side with the best and let them inspire us. If you ever have a chance to visit the cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, you will see some wonderful tapestries on the walls showing a great crowd of famous saints marching toward the altar. You will also see some ordinary folks alive today. We're in good company! AMEN
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