1 November, 2012
All Saints - Solemnity
FIRST READING
Revelation 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 if 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.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 24:1bc–2, 3–4ab, 5–6 (see 6)
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it. For he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD? or who may stand in his holy place? One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean, who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, a reward from God his savior. Such is the race that seeks for him, that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
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.
ALLELUIA
John 10:27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL
Matthew 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.”
REFLECTIONS:
What is the good life which God intends for
us? And how is it related with the ultimate end or purpose of life? Is
it not our desire and longing for true happiness, which is none
other than the complete good, the sum of all goods, leaving nothing more
to be desired? Jesus addresses this question in his sermon on the mount.
The heart of Jesus' message is that we can live a very happy life. The
call to holiness, to be saints who joyfully pursue God's will for their
lives, can be found in these eight beatitudes. Jesus' beatitudes sum up
our calling or vocation to live a life of the beatitudes. The word beatitude
literally
means "happiness" or "blessedness".
What is the significance of Jesus' beatitudes, and why are they so central
to his teaching? The beatitudes respond to the natural desire for happiness
that God has placed in every heart. They teach us the final end to which
God calls us, namely the coming of God's kingdom (Matthew
4:17), the vision of God (Matthew 5:8; 1 John 2;1),
entering into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21-23)
and into his rest (Hebrews 4:7-11). Jesus' beatitudes
also confront us with decisive choices concerning the life we pursue here
on earth and the use we make of the goods he puts at our disposal. God
alone satisfies. Theresa of Avila's prayer book contained a bookmark which
she wrote: "Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you;
All things pass: God never changes. Patience achieves all it strives for.
Whoever has God lacks nothing, God alone suffices." Is God enough for
you? God offers us the greatest good possible abundant life in Jesus
Christ (John 10:10) and the promise of unending joy and happiness with
God. Do you seek the highest good, the total good, which is above
all else?
The beatitudes which Jesus offers us are a sign of contradiction to
the world's understanding of happiness and joy. How can one possibly find
happiness in poverty, hunger, mourning, and persecution? Poverty of spirit
finds ample room and joy in possessing God as the greatest treasure possible.
Hunger of the spirit seeks nourishment and strength in God's word and Spirit.
Sorrow and mourning over wasted life and sin leads to joyful freedom from
the burden of guilt and spiritual oppression. God reveals to the humble
of heart the true source of abundant life and happiness. Jesus promises
his disciples that the joys of heaven will more than compensate for the
troubles and hardships they can expect in this world. Thomas Aquinas said:
"No one can live without joy. That is why a person deprived of spiritual
joy goes after carnal pleasures." Do you know the happiness of hungering
and thirsting for God alone?
"Lord Jesus, increase my hunger for you and show me the way that leads
to everlasting peace and happiness. May I desire you above all else and
find perfect joy in doing your will."
No comments:
Post a Comment