All Saints

Revelation 7:2-4,9-14
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

A reflection on holy living: Where am I? How far am I?

My brothers and sisters, this Sunday, we celebrate All Saints Day. When we speak of Saints, what comes to our mind? We may think of people who are now united with God in heaven. We may think of holy men and women who led exemplary lives while on earth – the kind of holiness that serves as a model for us to strive for. We may even think of martyrs who gave up their lives for the faith and for others. Indeed, martyrs are particularly worthy of our respect. Martyred saints such as:

• St Lawrence who was roasted to death by Emperor Valerian during the persecution of the Christians in 258 AD. The emperor wanted St Lawrence to disclosed where the Church hid its treasures. Instead, St Lawrence brought the poor, the disabled, the sick and the orphaned to the emperor, proclaiming these to be the treasures of the Church.
• St Agnes of Rome, who at a young age of 13, decided to devote her life to the Lord by remaining a virgin. She was persecuted and punished for her faith – she was stripped naked; dragged through the streets to a brothel; and eventually sentenced to death.
• St Maximilian Kolbe who, during World War II in 1941, gave up his life for a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz.

In the First Reading, the disciple John had a vision where he encountered martyred saints. He wrote, “there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands.” (verse 9) And one of the elders told John: “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (verse 14)

And of course, there are Saints who lived and grew old, such as John, who was not only the author of the First and Second Reading this week, but also the “disciples – the one whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13:23). For his exemplary life of love, he is now known to us as St John.

One issue about the above imageries of sainthood – holiness, model Christian, martyr – were that they create an impression in us that sainthood is too high a bar for us ordinary Christians to aim for. We form the impression that sainthood is really for some very special holy people. But the truth is, saints are just ordinary people. In fact, many have openly confessed themselves to be great sinners. Even the martyred saints, many did not seek martyrdom. But when they were put into extraordinary situations, they were able to summon the grace and courage to give up their lives. Indeed, the saints are not that different from many of us trying our best to live good holy lives. We recall the First Reading, where St John encountered martyred saints of “great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (verse 9). In other words, anybody can become a saint. We all have the potentials to become saints. In fact, leading holy lives, journeying toward sainthood, should be the goal of every Christians. As St John put it in the Second Reading this week, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.” (verse 2) St Paul went even further in many of his letters, addressing the believers as saints! (See, for example, 1 Cor 1:2, Col 1:2, Phil 1:1, Eph 1:1.) Elsewhere, St Paul called us “heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom 8:17); and promised us: “the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints” (Eph 1:18)

So, how do we bridge the gap between our current life and a truly holy life? In answer to that, Jesus provided us the Beatitude in this week’s Gospel. The word “beatitude” comes from the Latin beatus, meaning “blessed” or “happy”. Put simply, the Beatitudes rules for living blessed and happy lives. These are the code of conduct for saints. And since we all want to happy and want to be saints, they ought to be our code of conduct.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(verse 3-12)

So, my brothers and sisters, let us reflect:

• Do I recognise that I am spiritually poor and that I am completely dependence on God?
• In my sorrows and mournful moments, do I turn to God for comfort and solace?
• Am I meek and humble; or am I proud?
• Do I uphold righteousness; or do I prefer to stay a low profile and shy away?
• For someone who have wronged us or wronged the society, am I merciful and forgiving?
• Am I pure in heart, or have I let the world – with its values and vices – corrupt my thoughts?
• Do I make peace – not just among people, but also within me and with God?
• Am I prepared to be persecuted for doing the right thing?

Indeed, these Beatitudes are so profound that each verse is worthy of an separate in-depth reflection. This week, why not let the Holy Spirit guide us – pick a beatitude, look at our life, reflect our life alongside that beatitude. Peace be with you.