SAINTS: UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS! ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Daily Reflections

Wednesday, 1^st November 2017.

Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

SOLEMNITY OF ALL SAINTS

Rev 7:2-4, 9-14;

Ps 23:1-6;

1 Jn 3:1-3;

Mt 5:1-12

SAINTS: UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS!

The saints are those who strived to live here on earth according to the Gospel values. Even after their death, they continue to be examples of holiness and witnesses to the Gospel. Being fully made of human flesh and blood like our own they desired to achieve holiness. They are the ones who found inspiration in the lives of earlier saints saying “’if he and she can be a saint why not I?”Saints in heaven have the privilege of being in the presence of God continuously. The saints in Heaven are in full union with God and make up the Communion of Saints in Heaven, the Church Triumphant.

Even though they are enjoying their eternal reward, they are still very much concerned about us. St. Thérèse of Lisieux said it best when she said, “I want to spend my Heaven doing good on Earth.” The saints in Heaven are entrusted with the important task of intercession. Sure, God already knows all our needs and He could ask us to go directly to Him in our prayers. But the truth is that God wants to use the intercession, and therefore, the mediation of the saints in our lives. He uses them to bring our prayers to Him and, in return, to bring His grace to us. They become powerful intercessors for us and participators in God’s divine action in the world.

The saints also give us a model of holiness. The charity they lived on Earth lives on. The witness of their love and sacrifice was not just a onetime act in history. Rather, charity is living and continues to have an effect for the good. Therefore, the charity and witness of the saints lives on and affects our lives. This charity in their lives creates a bond with us, a communion. It enables us to love them, admire them and want to follow their example. It is this, coupled with their continuing intercession, that establishes a powerful bond of love and union with us.

The Gospel of today invites us to follow the Beatitudes as a means to attain holiness. How are we to live this life of Holiness? St. Augustine found it hard to live the Beatitudes, but when he read the lives of the saints he said, “if these ordinary women and men could do it, why not I?”

In the Gospel, Jesus says "Blessed are the poor in spirit, Blessed are those who mourn, Blessed are the meek, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, Blessed are the merciful, Blessed are the pure in heart, Blessed are the peacemakers, Blessed are the persecuted for justice." But in truth, these are character traits of Jesus himself. Jesus is the poor in spirit, Jesus is one who mourns, one who is meek, one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, one who is merciful, one who has a pure heart, a peacemaker, and one who was persecuted for righteousness' sake. When we hear his voice, each in its own way, let us not harden our hearts. Let us follow Him to participate in the blessed life. For Jesus, everything is possible. He will help us to be perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect.

Prayer: Lord, as the saints in Heaven adore You for eternity, I beg for their intercession. Saints of God, please come to my aide. Pray for me and bring to me the grace I need to live a holy life in imitation of your own lives. All saints of God, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.