The celebration of the Solemnity of All Saints is a wonderful opportunity to give glory to God for the abundance of holiness in the Church, and to honor all the heroes and heroines of the Christian faith.The “canonized saints” are only the tip of the iceberg – the iceberg of Christian holiness which comprises millions of holy people whose names are not found in the calendars. They performed no miracles, nor did they enjoy any supernatural apparition. They were only “ordinary Christians” – just as we are. The only thing that was “extraordinary” in them was their faithful love for God and generous love for people.
Their success is an encouragement to all of us, ordinary faithful who share with them the sincere desire to “go to heaven.” All we have to do is follow their style – to live our ordinary lives loving God and neighbor to the best of our ability and thereby making of our lives a beautiful gift for the Lord. The beatitudes as taught by Christ defines the lifestyle one can adopt to live a saintly life that is acceptable and pleasing to God while transforming our relationship with others into a harmonious fellowship as "future saints of heaven".
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.”
