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A Reflection by Fr. Joel
The Solemnity of All Saints is a day we commemorate all the Saints of the Church, both known and unknown, canonized or not, who have attained heaven. It is usually a holy day of obligation. This feast is celebrated on November 1st every year.
In our creed we do profess our faith in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. The saints are dead on earth but are alive in heaven.
We are all called to be saints. Each and everyone of us has received the call to be holiness at baptism. We have the task to respond to this call sincerely. We have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us respond to this call. People have a false impressing about the saints. They think the saints are people who never committed any sins in their lives. This is wrong. The saints were not saints from cradle onward. They were not born saints. But the saints were born humans who struggled to overcome sins and other challenges in their lives. They underwent conversion and change of heart to live holy lives. Example of saints who went through conversion and change of hearts includes Francis of Assisi, Augustine of Hippo, and Paul of Tarsus.
The lives of the saints are great challenges to us living today. As we celebrate and honor them today, we are called to conversion and a change of heart so that we can become saints. We are called to a life of total surrender to God. Being a saint is a life of sacrifice, service, peace, and love. The saints believed in God and his divine providence. The saints made effort to keep the commandments of God. The saints are those who allowed the spirit of God to influence them to live the life of virtues. The saints are people who believed the Good News of God’s unconditional love to them and loved God back in the same way. The saints are those who acknowledged their sins and repent of them. The saints are those who discovered the hidden treasures of the kingdom of God and gave up everything and followed Jesus. The saints are those wise virgins who went to the wedding feast with oil in their lambs. The saints are those who allowed the yeast and mustard seed to grow in their lives to become big trees for the birds to take shelter in them. The saints are heroes and heroines of our faith. The saints are those Christians who bore witness to the gospel of Christ. The saints are shining examples of Christian life and our mentors in the faith. As we celebrate and honor them let us imitate them as well. Let ask for their intercession to be able to follow their footsteps. Let us entrust our lives to God, and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to become saints.