Reading 1
Rv 7:2-4, 9-14
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.”
Reading II
1 Jn 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.
Gospel
Mt 5:1-12a
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.”
Meditation: Matthew 5:1-12
All Saints
Blessed are they … (Matthew 5:4)
It’s easy to read the beatitudes and see in them the lives of the saints. We could probably take a pencil and paper right now and make a quick list: poor in spirit—St. Francis; mourning—St. Monica; hungry for righteousness—St. Benedict; merciful—Mother Teresa; clean of heart—St. Maria Goretti.
This could be a fun activity to do, especially with our children. But we should also remember that All Saints Day is not just about “them.” This is our day, too! The promise of union with God in heaven is for each of us. Just think about the great multitude described in today’s second reading. They stand before the throne of the Lamb simply because God freely offered them his salvation, and they accepted it. Their constant song of joy and celebration underscores this important truth: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne!” (Revelation 7:10).
Throughout the liturgical year, we have feast days for thousands of saints. But today is the feast of everyone else. It’s the day when we all rejoice in God’s gift of salvation and the hope of heaven. The beatitudes, lofty though they seem, are possible for us because it is God’s gift of grace that transforms us and builds his character in us. He makes saints of us as we follow him. In fact, every step we take to put aside self-centeredness, every choice to give of ourselves to others, every prayer time spent on our knees before the Lord moves us one step closer to our heavenly goal.
This is your day, so rejoice in it! Recognizing the example of holy men and women who have gone before you, follow their lead. Then, one day we will all celebrate with them before God’s heavenly throne.
“Father, I rejoice that you want to include me among the saints. I celebrate your salvation. Amazed by your generosity, I receive your grace today so that I can become holy. Thank you for opening heaven to me and inviting me in to your throne room!”
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