This past week I have seen many children dressed in costumes around our school. The first set of costumes that I witnessed was with the 3rd grade when they put on a presentation of a wax museum of many famous figures throughout United States history. These figures who have gone before us continually remind us of their important contributions to society through politics, the health care profession, magic, sports, scientific contributions, among others. Today we have another set of costumes that are placed before us. Our 4th grade class are wearing the costumes of their favorite saints. It is in honor of the saints that we gather this morning. Through the saints we see many positive reminders of how we are to truly begin to love God as we should. Through their lives we are shown that we must turn away from our sin and in return love God with all of our heart. May we not fear to ask these men and women to intercede on our behalf because they lived a life of great love shown towards God and in return always desire to draw others to God.
We must remember that our ultimate goal inside of this life is to make it to Heaven. If we make it to Heaven we will be unlike the many costumes that are worn for Halloween. A costume of a character from a television show or movie can easily be taken off at the end of the night, but this cannot be done with our call to sainthood. This means that we cannot give into the temptation of sin because it removes us from our call towards sainthood. This also means that when we do sin that we cannot take off God's mercy because it is necessary for the person striving towards sainthood. All of the saints who reign with God in Heaven did not remove themselves from the reality that they were baptized & therefore set apart in their ultimate goal of advancing in their love towards God. We have joined ourselves in this journey through our baptism where we were washed clean from original sin. Baptism was not just some vague rite of passage that could be removed when feel like it, but is a sacrament that has set us in motion toward perfect love of God
If we truly desire to become a saint which means make it to Heaven we need to listen closely to the words of Saint Matthew's Gospel. In this Gospel we were given the beatitudes which ultimately give us the tension between placing our love solely in the things of this world or totally upon God. In the way we treat others we can reflect either of these realities. We can become enslaved to being mean to others through our words or deeds, be drawn towards the love of money, over look the importance that Church plays in our life especially the attendance of Mass every Sunday, among many other possibilities that will always leave us serving the world. Instead of desiring to serve the world we should desire to serve God. It is only with service found here that we will be able to truly be happy and free from everything that enslaves us in this life. This is what the saints were able to accomplish in this life and now they for all time lay prostrate before the throne of God in a true adoration based upon love.
If we desire to truly grow in our love of God we must live out these beatitudes faithfully and when we mess up at doing so return to the abundant mercy of God found in the sacrament of confession. We must also allow God to guide us in our life towards our vocation and once we find that vocation to live it out faithfully. It is my understanding that later today the second grade class will have the opportunity to dress as one of the various vocations found inside of the Church. A vocation comes to us from God and always leads us back to his love. As a Church we are in dire need for holy marriages, priests, religious, and single people where their life is not in perversion of love, but instead based upon that which is seen in the Trinity. None of the saints were religious, priests, or married because they desired to follow their own will. Instead they were called, as all of us are in some way, and responded with their lives. May all of you here today remain open to praying each day about your own vocation in life that you may find it or be strengthened within it. If we can accomplish this we will be walking along the same path that brought the saints to sainthood.
On this All Saints Day may each of us be inspired through the true love that is found with the saints. May we allow them to guide us by their holy example and forever allow them to intercede in our lives. Their example and love for God was not a mere costume that was removed when nobody was around, but instead was who they authentically were. May we not allow ourselves to wear a false costume to impress God, but may we instead present ourselves in our sinfulness to God's mercy and be forever transformed. May we also present ourselves to God to be molded in our vocation and to respond to that call with humility as we grow in accomplishing and living out this vocation each day. When we are able to do this we will be preparing ourselves to join with the saints in Heaven where we in return will lay prostrate before God for all eternity. May we allow all the angels and saints of Heaven to intercede for us this day that we may one day be able to behold the face of God.
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