Homily
for the Solemnity of All Saints (01st November, 2019) on the
Solemnity
Rev (Apoc)
7:2-4.9-14;
Ps
23:1-6. (R.cf. v. 6);1Jn 3:1-3;
Matt 5:1-12.
One day, a catechist was confronted by one of the First Holy Communion
candidates during the catechism class with this question: “Sir, why do we serve
God in this world?” Without reflection he retorted, “Why did God make you?”
(CCD 2) The girl replied: “You told us
that ‘God made us to know him, love him and serve him in this world, and to be
happy with him forever in the next’”. Her answer in the form of a reported
speech signalled to the catechist that the problem might be deeper than he
thought. Hence he asked her, “my dear, but why the question in the first
place?” The girl quoted Revelation 7:1-8.
It was then obvious to the catechist that the question was more than what he
could handle and as a result referred the little girl to the parish priest.
Topic: You are called to be a Saint (Rom
1:7).
The Church as a family of God is of
three states – the Church Triumphant (those already in heaven), the Church
Militant (part of this family that are still here on earth), and the Church
Suffering (our brethren who have left this world but were not as perfect as God
wants and as a result are being purified where we call Purgatory). Today, the
Church is celebrating that part of her that are already in heaven. These
include the canonized and beatified and also those we never knew they made
heaven.
As we celebrate these brothers and
sisters of ours who are already in heaven, it is important to note that the
call to be Christians is a call to be saints, cf. Rom 1:7, 1Cor 1:2; 2Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2. Again when
God called Ananias to go and baptize Saul, he replied: “Lord, I have heard from
many about this man, how much evil he has done to thy saints at Jerusalem” (Acts
9:13). Furthermore, Paul in Acts of the Apostles while defending himself
before Agrippa said that he (Paul) “shut
up many of the saints in prison” (Acts
26:10).
Furthermore, our call to be
Christians is a call to be part of Christ, the head, the Church, cf. Acts 9:4; 1Cor 11:3; Eph 1:22; 4:15;
5:23; Col 1:18; 2:10; 2:19. And this Christ is the fountain of holiness,
cf. Heb 12:10; 1Thess 4:7; Eph 4:24;
2Cor 7:1. Christians therefore have no option other than to be saints
because the head and the members ought to be one. A Christian who is not a
saint is a diseased part of the body and should be cut off, cf. Mal 2:11-12; Rom 11:22.
What then are the things the bible tells
us about saints? Firstly, saints are God’s beloved (Rom 1:7) because they hate every form of evil and God in his turn
preserves their lives and delivers them from the hand of the wicked, cf. Ps 97:10. The saints, “…shall receive
the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Dan 7:18). This kingdom in question is
the one Saint Paul described thus, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor
the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1Cor 2:9, cf. Is 64:4-5a, Eph 1:18).
Hence, “precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints” (Ps 116:15).
Again, the saints will judge the
earth and the angels, (cf. Matt 19:28; 1Cor
6:1-3). Christians today do not settle misunderstandings among themselves without
going to court, ụmụnna, ụmụada, village meetings, native
doctors, idols, among so many others. This reminds me of what happened in one
of the parishes around. Two Christians had a misunderstanding. One of them went
and reported the matter to a priest of an idol. However the other reported the
matter to the Police. In the process the DPO asked them if they were
Christians. They answered in affirmative and to buttress this point, the one
who reported the matter to the idol brought out his bible.
Furthermore, saints also avoid sin.
In the words of Saint Paul “…fornication and all impurity or covetousness must
not even be named among you, as is fitting among saints” (Eph 5:3). Christ our head has condemned sin in the flesh, cf. Rom 8:3. Christians are called to walk
in the Spirit which brings life and not in the flesh that brings death, cf. Rom 8:6. The Psalmist calls on the saints of God to Love and fear the Lord
for those who fear him have no want, cf. Ps
31:23, Ps 34:9. Our God is just
and “will not forsake his saints” (Ps
37:28). The prayers of the saints rise to the throne of God mixed with
incense, cf. Rev 5:8; 8:3-4).
Surely for some it is no longer
possible for them to become saints. On the contrary, no matter how one’s past and
present are like, he/she can still be a saint. The First Reading tells us of
the great multitude “who have come out of great ordeal; they have washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:14). My dear, no robe is too dirty for the blood of the Lamb.
Hence for the Psalmist, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose
sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no deceit” (Ps 32:1-2).
Let us pray for ourselves and never rejoice at our brothers/sisters failure.
Heaven is for all.
So my dear ones in the Lord, as we
read in the Acts of the Apostles of the saints at Lydda, cf. Acts 9:32, of the Saints of Achaia (2Cor 1:1), Saints at Philippi (Phil 1:1), the saints at Colossae (Col 1:2) among others, can you be
referred to as a saint in your parish/station/branch, and so on? If yes,
rejoice for you are one of those we celebrate today and if no, thank God
because you can still make the best out of what is remaining. Please, make the
best of it today. Delay is dangerous.
Bible Readings: Acts 9:10-14; Col 1:1-14; 1Cor 6:1-11;
1Thess 4:1-12; Rom 8:1-17; Rev 11:15-19.
Silent Prayer:
Are you a saint or not?
Let us pray: Grace to you
(all the saints of God) and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
– Amen (cf. Rev 22:21, Rom 1:7).
You
are free to share this reflection with others if you consider it worthy.
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May God
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