Solemnity of All Saints November 1

“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robesand made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” Revelations

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. 1 John 3:1

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…Rejoice and be glad,for your reward will be great in heaven.” Matthew 5

Piety

Let us pray: Mary, Queen of all the Saints, you are already totally immersed in divine glory. Help us to choose the demanding road to Christian perfection. Through prayer, study and action, illuminate our minds and open our hearts to fully understand and appreciate the mystery of Christ and of faithful acceptance of God’s will. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/110106.shtml

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. This is a feast day for the Church that invites us to reflect on those who have already gone before us – the saints named and unnamed – who stand on the cloud of witnesses interceding with God on our behalf. “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.” These people point us to the road (holiness) which leads to that destination.

On this date and feast in 2003, Pope John Paul taught us that “The Saints and Blesseds of Paradise remind us, as pilgrims on Earth that prayer, above all, is our sustenance for each day so that we never lose sight of our eternal destiny. For many of them the Rosary - the prayer to which the year just ended was dedicated (2003) - was the privileged instrument for their daily discourse with the Lord. The Rosary led them to an ever more profound intimacy with Christ and with the Blessed Virgin.”

We have been reflecting for weeks on the fact that God wants us to be close to Him, to be his children. Today, in our readings, Mark and John point the way – through holiness and suffering like those who have gone before, we must come to fully rely upon God. So whether we are poor in material possessions or poor in spirit, God puts the path of holiness before us. The choice to take that path is ours.

Action

The first reading from the Book of Revelation provides some advice for how we should care for the gifts we get from God. “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.” What can you do today to be a good steward of the gifts that God has laid before you?