Solemnity of All Saints
I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
“Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.
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.
They cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb.”
All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:
“Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honor, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
“Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?”
I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.”
He said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”
Second reading 1 John 3:1-3
Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
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.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.
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.”
By Art B. Reyes
In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes. Perhaps, this word is commonly heard among the Catholics. It might be frequently heard but it is often misunderstood because there are “ironies”. I say ironies because it tells us that there is blessings in our sorrow, poverty, persecutions, and deprivations. This is really difficult to understand and even takes a fool to understand. But, it is a source of consolation, a fountain of joy to those who have faith.
The world tells us that happiness is measured by our success, popularity, influence, and wealth. But if only we contemplate about it, we can find out that these are not an assurance that we can attain peace and joy in life. Material things wear out, success can be lost overnight, influence can betray you, and wealth can abandon you in an instant. Yes, those can give you happiness but they are fleeting. What matters really is our family who will always be there, the love that we share that grows and multiplies, our offer of true friendships that can weather any storm, and our harmonious relationship with each other that will last a lifetime. They are the fountains of joy and peace.
The Beatitudes will help us to finding peace, to moving on, and to finding meaning in whatever situations we are in. Whatever we go through, good or bad, happy or sad, the Beatitudes give us the consolation and the assurance that all will be well if we hold on to God.
Today is also the Feast of all Saints. Saints were not extra-ordinary people, but they lived the Beatitudes. They took the road to holiness by living simply, spreading good deeds, and sacrificing worldly pleasures and wealth. They allowed God to shine through their lives.
Let me share to you the lyrics from one of my favorite songs.
My Peace:
My peace I give unto you
It's a peace that the world cannot give
It's a peace that the world cannot understand
Peace to know, peace to live
My peace I give unto you
My love I give unto you
It's a love that the world cannot give
It's a love that the world cannot understand
Love to know, love to live
My love I give unto you
It's a love that the world cannot understand
My love I give unto you
Prayer
Gracious God, You have so richly blessed us with life, with love and joy, with hope in the midst of despair. Help us to be a reflection of Your overflowing grace so we can be the light of the world shining light in the midst of hopelessness. Let our attitudes in life be as beautiful as the Beatitudes, sharing with others what we have received, boldly proclaiming the good news of your love, finding the seeds of your kingdom within us and letting your way grow in our lives and throughout the world. Amen.
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