All Saint's Day Homily

In our reading from Revelation we were told about the beauty and splendor that lies behind the white robe that was worn in the Heavenly court. This reading and the sight of this color should give hope to each of us who are here this day. This color reminds us of the perfection that each of the saints has earned through their faithfulness to God's holy Gospel. Hope exists because each of these men and women were able to enter into a world that might at times be hostile to the faith and somehow find a way to triumph over that hostility. The beginnings of their journey of faith started on the day of their baptism when their souls were cleansed from the stain of original sin through its life giving waters. From this humble beginning of which we have experienced they were sent in the world as humans to live a life worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom. I know that tough days existed for them, but they continued to find a way to triumph over sin and always remained in the midst of the mercy of God.

We can examine our world and see the darkness that has been brought into it. It is tough for each of us to become "white in the blood of the Lamb." Everywhere we look we are bombarded with the image that sex sells. We live in a fast pace world that never gives us any time to take a break for prayer. We know countless amounts of people who are sick and suffering and know not what to do to give them aid. We fear for ourselves and our families because we do not know what the future has in store for us. We know the Church's teachings concerning marriage and its openness to life, but cannot trust what the result may be if we place our trust in this great gift. We hold grudges against our neighbors for some past transgression that we now cannot remember, but we hold onto our pride instead of trusting in the power of reconciliation. We spend many nights in prayer concerning our children because they have left the faith and now walk down a slippery road. Due to divorce or the death of a loved one we feel as if we have been left alone with nowhere to turn to fill this void.

Thankfully we can say that the saints have been there and done that. Saint Martha prayed each day concerning her son and he eventually returned to the faith. Speaking of Saint Augustine he lived a life filled with sexual sin, but upon hearing the call of Christ was able to become one of the Church's greatest teachers. Saint Gianna Berreta Molla, pregnant with her fourth child, refused to have an abortion and gave an example that being open to life must exist within the Sacrament of Marriage. Padre Pio is a sign of the great forgiveness that is found inside of the Church through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and gives us the encouragement to continue to seek it out. In our modern day saints seem to no-longer exist, but we don't have to look any further then seven and a half years ago when Blessed John Paul II gave us the example of how we should except suffering and death. Of course we also have the Blessed Virgin Mary who gives hope to each of us as she continues to draw us closer into communion with Her Son, Jesus Christ. Each saint of the Church contains their own story and gives hope to us who hear these stories. We are like them because we are on a path towards God. Sin and temptation creeps into life, but hope still exists that it can be overcome.

As we gather this day for All Saint's we come here to venerate each of these holy men and women. We realize that in their lives came many challenges, but somehow they were able to give of themselves fully living out each of the beatitudes that were found in today's Gospel. We pray on this day that we may become more like them and in return may become "white in the blood of the lamb." This great solemnity of the Church brings us to the banquet of The Lord where we are able to glance at each of these holy men and women who have given hope to our lives on this day. They remind us in the words of Gaudium et Spes: "Caught in this conflict, man is obliged to wrestle constantly if he is to cling to what is good, nor can he achieve his own integrity without great efforts and the help of God's grace."

And so it is with all of us here on this earth today. Each of us must continue to exist within this conflict where we must constantly wrestle against sin and despair. Through our own talents alone we will always come up short, but trusting in the grace that is given to us by God there is truly hope to be found. There is hope for this great multitude of people who make up the Church to one day come into complete union with God through the beatific vision. This is the hope that we acknowledge tomorrow on All Soul's Day when we gather to pray for all those souls who have gone before us. May we allow their example to lead towards constant conversion to Christ.

In our first reading Saint John saw "a great multitude" in Heaven who had "survived the time of great distress." These are the saints of Heaven whom we venerate this day as we continue to go to war with the darkness of sin, the loss of hope, and the failure of faith. Great light is brought to us from them because we are shown that it is possible to overcome sin to join in the beatific vision of God. Hope is given to each of us because we see that there is something more out there that we can turn towards in our time of need. Faith is returned to our hearts because they point the way towards God out to us. Through their veneration we are brought closer to God and shown that returning to God as His spiritual children will help us to become pure of heart. On this great day we are shown that Heaven is real and is doable. We are shown that even in the state of sin and despair; hope remains for us who can always trust in God's grace. The saints were a people who longed to see the face of God; may we have this same desire in our lives and allow them to intercede for us as we continue to make our journey of faith.