Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Osmond Anike

Readings:

First Reading: Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14 – I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23(24):1-6 – Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3 – We shall be like God because we shall see him as he really is.

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a – How happy are the poor in spirit.

The Solemnity of All Saints, known also as “All Saints’ Day” or “All Hallows’ Day”, is celebrated on the 1^st of November. You know that the word “Hallowe’en” is a short form of “All Hallows’ Even”, which means “All Saints’ Eve” and is celebrated on October 31^st. “Hallow” simply means “to make holy or to set apart for holy use” (cf. the Lord’s Prayer). Although the “Halloween” has come to assume various meanings over the years, one must not lose sight of the main celebration that gave rise to it namely, the Solemnity of All Saints. It is usually celebrated in close connection with All Souls’ Day celebrated on 2^nd November. The Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day stems from a belief that there is a powerful spiritual bond between those in heaven (the “Church triumphant”), and the living (the “Church militant”). In Catholic theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. As the name rightly suggests, it celebrates all the saints, both known and unknown, who have attained heaven. Many of those who have attained heaven don’t get the chance to be celebrated, obviously because no particular day of the year is assigned to their commemoration. It was for this reason particularly that this solemnity was established.

There are so many men and women who lived saintly lives here on earth and have died without their being officially canonized. This only goes to show that canonization does not send someone to heaven; it only officially confirms that one is in heaven. To be in heaven, in a nutshell, is to be a saint. Sainthood is a phenomenon that needs to be understood in order to avoid the scepticism that often arises when people are declared saints. I often polemically define saints as retired sinners. However, behind the polemic is actually a true reflection of the concept of sainthood. Saints are not those who have never sinned; saints are those who sinned and repented. In other words, saints are those who literally “retired” as sinners. When contemporary society speaks disparagingly against people whom they consider not qualified to be declared saints, they do it on the basis that such people were not “perfect” humans when they were alive. They often point out some of their faults which, according to their uninformed judgment, should have disqualified them from being canonized as saints. Well, such utopian “perfect” humans do not and have never existed. The church does not canonize people saints because they were perfect when they were alive. The church canonizes people saints based on the fact they were progressively making effort towards perfection. And it is this constant effort towards perfection that qualifies someone to go to heaven.

Sometimes, we bask in the euphoria of what we think we are. We convince ourselves that we are holy and blameless and as such, we relax with the false sense of security while looking down on others as sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes. However, what counts is not necessarily what you are but what you aspire to be. It is in this regard that Jesus always warns the Scribes and the Pharisees that sinners and prostitutes are making their way into the Kingdom of God before them. The logic is clear: many of these so-called sinners are constantly aspiring towards perfection, while the so-called “perfect people” relapse into complacency. In fact, many of the most influential saints in the history of the church were “public sinners” who constantly aspired towards perfection. From the apostolic period where a certain Saul became St. Paul, to the patristic period where a young Casanova eventually became the great St. Augustine, similar stories have frequently repeated themselves throughout the history of the church. It is, therefore, out of place for the contemporary society to ridicule people who have been declared saints simply because they think such people had some faults when they were alive.

Sainthood is not out of reach of anyone. The celebration of All Saints is a reminder that sanctity is within everyone’s reach. And we attain sanctity not necessarily by doing extraordinary things. The beatitudes in the Gospel of today indicate to us that the simple everyday acts of kindness, goodwill and positive disposition of heart suffice for us to be “blessed” and for the kingdom of God to be ours. Jesus did not want to make the kingdom of God an exclusive reserve of few “super-human” beings. Anybody who is willing to conscientiously aspire towards perfection can make it to the kingdom of God, and thus become a saint. The great scientist, Albert Einstein said: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving”. I think I can equally say this of sanctity. If you stop moving towards perfection, you can never arrive at holiness. It is also insightful to note what another great writer, Khalil Gibran said: “To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to”. Many of us no longer aspire to what we could become because we think that we have arrived at our final destination. This will be our greatest undoing as Christians – to stop aspiring.

The saints we honour today were constantly aspiring to achieve holiness. They never stopped moving; they were constantly “pedalling their bicycles” so as not only to keep moving but also to keep their balance. As the “Church militant”, i.e., those still journeying here on earth, we must learn from the saints to keep on making constant effort towards perfection. When we eventually come to join the “Church triumphant” after our sojourn here on earth, we shall be celebrated together with all the saints on days like this one.