Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint 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. “
Solemnity of All Saints (All Saints Day)
1) Blessed. Today we celebrate the Triumphant Church. We celebrate those members of the Church who are in heaven and rejoice eternally in the glory of God, to whom they are united in the beatific vision. From heaven, they take care of us, accompany us, and speak to God about us. This does not refer only to those saints we see in holy cards or images; this also refers of those people who did good deeds here on earth and made a difference in our lives; leaving their mark on us. It’s important that you should search your memory, and your heart, and remember those people who guided and assisted you in your life. I’m sure they’re still helping you from up there in heaven. Consider, also, those Saints you have prayed to and who gave you a hand at some point in your life; like St. Joseph helped me. Anyway… take time to thank them.
2) To heaven. Look at God and remember that here on earth we are sinners, but that we struggle on. No one here on earth is holy. The game ends when we die, and that’s when we’ll see the scoreboard…The rankings will show us if we have been promoted or if we have been demoted with penalties. Keep going, keep trying; it’s a daily struggle. A new day is a new fight.
3) The Madonna. Clearly, when speaking about saints, we cannot leave out the Mother of God: the Mother and Queen of Saints. She went through all the pains and joys of this life. Today, we ask her to give us peace and to help us keep going; to carry on in this life so that we can rest in her loving arms in eternal life. She never leaves us. She is our Mother – the Mater.
God bless you and be with you in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
And remember: Heaven, with the saints, is our goal!
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